Rice magnate with Middle East-based firm revealed as major Tory donor

Karan Chanana's 220,000 donation to the Conservatives turns spotlight back on laxity of rules banning contributions from foreign companies

A supermarket rice magnate whose firm is based in the Middle East is one of the Conservative party's major backers, donating through a foreign-owned company with millions of pounds of debt, the Observer can reveal.

Karan Chanana, 49, the head of the global rice brand Amira, has donated more than 220,000 to the Conservative party through his British company Amira G Foods since September 2019.