Veteran fashion designer Vivienne Westwood has been dumped as guest speaker at tonight’s Kingston Young Green’s event after tax avoidance allegations were published this weekend.
Dame Vivienne was due to speak alongside Deputy Leader of the Green Party Amelia Womack at the We Are The Revolution Event at Kingston University, however party officials decided to distance themselves from her following The Sunday Telegraph’s accusation.
Siobhan ‘Von’ Cockram wrote on the event’s Facebook page confirming the designer was not allowed to represent the Young Greens as she had ‘no plans to rectify the situation’.
She said: “We as the organisers are as gutted as many ticket holders will be.
“However, the Green Party are fully committed to their policy on receiving donations from those who do not pay full UK tax and have elected to not be represented by somebody unwilling to do so irrespective of their contribution or profile.”
A Vivienne Westwood Ltd statement issued today read: “Vivienne Westwood Ltd and all the companies belonging to the group pay all the required taxes in all the countries in which they trade or operate, in accordance to audited financial statements.
“All British entities based in the UK paid the required taxes.
“Within the UK, Vivienne Westwood Limited paid £780,228 of taxes in 2013 and £1,250,858 of taxes in 2012.
“Profits, as per the decision of the board of directors, were invested in the structure and in the international development of the company.
“The donation of £300,000 to the Green Party was made by Dame Vivienne Westwood personally and not by the Vivienne Westwood Group.”
This blow comes less than a month after her Red Label AW15 catwalk collection sashayed down the runway at London Fashion Week.
Dame Vivienne urged fashion fans to back the party on the catwalk leaflet handed out at the event.
It read: “The change from capitalism to a green economy is easy – we know what to do.
“What’s good for the planet is good for people. Vote Green.”
Hayden Prowse from BBC3’s The Revolution Will Be Televised has been invited to speak alongside Amelia Womack and Kingston candidate Clare Keogh.
Image courtesy of BBC via YouTube, with thanks
