Paradise Papers: Lord Ashcroft chased into toilet 'to dodge questions' on offshore trust
LORD Ashcroft has denied hiding in the toilet after he was pursued by a BBC reporter, following bombshell revelations in the Paradise Papers.
Lord Ashcroft denies hiding as reporter asks about his finances
In a remarkable footage, the Conservative donor was chased around the Conservative Party conference floor by a BBC reporter.
Lord Ashcroft denies hiding in a toilet to dodge the BBC's Richard Bilton who repeatedly questioned his finances - instead claiming he just needed a pee.
This comes from yesterday's release of the controversial Paradise Papers appeared to reveal that Lord Ashcroft was keeping millions in an offshore account.
A video from BBC Panorama sees the reporter pursue the Tory donor who appears to flee into the toilets.
The Conservative donor was chased around the Conservative Party conference floor
The journalist asked him questions during last month's conference in Manchester about having tens of millions in the offshore Punta Gorda Trust.
He led Mr Bilton through the hall, at one point holding his hand, repeatedly muttering "dear, oh dear, oh dear".
In the end, the 71-year-old runs into the toilet, leaving the BBC crew outside.
Despite what the footage appears to show, he denied that he had been hiding, tweeting: "No hiding. Had a pee and walked out."
In the end, the 71-year-old runs into the toilet, leaving the BBC crew outside
Lord Ashcroft denies hiding in a toilet to dodge the BBC's Richard Bilton
No hiding. Had a pee and walked out
According to the Paradise Papers, Lord Ashcroft managed to work around new parliamentary laws and avoid tax on his worldwide income between 2010 and 2015.
The former Conservative Party deputy chairman gave assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Bermuda trust in 2000.
He had publicly promised to become a permanent resident in the UK, which would have meant giving up his status as a UK resident whose full-time domicile is out of the country.
However, the Paradise Papers revealed that Lord Ashcroft secretly remained non-domiciled in the UK for tax purposes, and instead was domiciled in Belize.