An unfortunate misspelling at Tory HQ considering the current climate

While recording a generous donation to the Conservative Party by Alisa Swidler - a wealthy American philanthropist who has lived in the UK since 2002 - someone at the Electoral Commission accidentally inserted a rogue “n”.

Perhaps fortunately for the Tories, the “Mrs Alisa Swindler” who was officially recorded as giving £65,000 to the party in December last year does not exist.

The error, which the Conservatives insisted was not their fault, was hastily corrected by embarrassed officials last night.

But the episode drew attention to the donor, who is every bit as colourful as her misspelled name suggests. A regular contributor to the US lifestyle magazine Town & Country, Ms Swidler describes herself on her blog as a “global humanitarian, philanthropist and mother of five”.

Entitled “The buccaneer: a busy New Yorker in London”, her internet diary provides an insight into her jet-setting lifestyle and is illustrated with numerous pictures of her with Bill and Hillary Clinton, Sir Paul McCartney and Stephen Fry.

It also mentions her encounters with David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Theresa May at Conservative Party events.

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