Jonathan Mendelsohn

Jonathan Mendelsohn is the director of general election resources for the British Labour Party.cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/28/nbrown1928.xml|title=Jon Mendelsohn profile: a real Mr Fix-It|author=Christopher Hope|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 November 2007|accessdate=2007-11-30] He had previously been a spokesman and lobbyist for the gambling company PartyGaming. [ [http://www.betsage.com/gamblingnews/17082007/partygamingcommunicator.htm Party Gaming communicator now Labour Party Fundraiser] ] He is the former chairman of Labour Friends of Israel.

With Neal Lawson and Ben Lucas, he founded LLM Communications in 1997, a lobbying firm with notable access to the new Labour Government. [cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists/Column/0,5673,434619,00.html|title=Social justice - that's so old Labour|first=Francis|last=Wheen|date=7 February 2001|publisher=The Guardian|accessdate=2007-11-29] [ [http://sero.wordpress.com/2007/11/29/comment-is-free-but-libel-lawyers-are-expensive/ Comment is Free… but journos are scared « Follow The Money ] ]

He had written to controversial Labour donor David Abrahams claiming he was one of Labour's "strongest supporters". [ [http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23423341-details/Scandal+donor:+'Labour+sent+me+letter+yesterday+THANKING+me+for+the+money'/article.do 'You're not up to the job Gordon': Cameron launches blistering attack over donor scandal] , Evening Standard, 28 November] In 1998 he was caught on tape along with Derek Draper boasting to Greg Palast, an undercover reporter posing as a businessman, about how they could sell access to government ministers and create tax breaks for their clients [cite web|url=http://www.gregpalast.com/tony-blair-and-the-sale-of-britain/|title=Britain for Sale|date=1 May 2005|author=Greg Palast|accessdate=2007-11-29] in a scandal that was dubbed "Lobbygate". [cite news|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/2001election/story/0,,466695,00.html|title=You must remember this|date=1 April 2001|publisher=The Observer|accessdate=2007-11-29] Draper denied the allegations. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/128125.stm|title=Draper accuses Observer of entrapment|date=7 July 1998|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2007-11-29] In the same incident Mendelsohn was approached by an undercover Journalist posing as a representative of American energy companies who were seeking to ignore environmental laws. Despite LLM's claim that "we believe that there will be a new breed of 'ethical winners' who will demonstrate that businesses no longer operate in a moral vacuum" [LLM Brochure] , Mendelsohn went on to advise the reporter to rephrase their plans into language that sounded "Earth-Friendly" going on to say "Tony [Blair] is very anxious to be seen as green. Everything has to be couched in environmental language - even if it's slightly Orwellian." [cite news |title=Jon Mendelsohn |work=Man In The Eye |publisher=Private Eye |date=7 December 2007 ]

He donated money to the Peter Hain Labour Party deputy leadership campaign. [cite news|url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article3209867.ece|title=Brown aide in the frame as police are asked to investigate donations|author=Colin Brown|publisher=The Independent|date=30 November 2007|accessdate=2007-11-30]

According to the Daily Telegraph, "Mr Mendelsohn is steeped in the north London Jewish community. He is a close friend of Lord Levy, who was at the heart of Labour’s cash for peerages affair."

He is married with four children. His wife, Nicola, is the deputy chairman of the advertising agency Grey London.

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