Banksy's Donation

Banksy's intended donation to the Labour Party via auction of a piece of his typically witty work had to be declined due to his lack of an official identity.

But thankfully for Labour, Steve Lazarides who successfully bid £195k for the piece was kind enough to make a personal donation to the party of the bid minus the estimated value of the piece - £75k.

Thus Mr. Lazarides got to keep the piece as well as his peace of mind; Banksy got to keep his identity secret and the Labour party pocketed a tidy sum of £121k, so alls well that ends well eh!

From: BBC News, Politics, 29Aug08

"Banksy's secret costs Labour dear
Graffiti star Banksy's secret identity caused some problems for Labour's accountants, after he donated a piece of art to raise funds for the party.

The piece, Sketch for Essex Road, was the star lot at a private fundraising auction at a gallery, raising £195,000. But the party could not accept the full sum as there was no way of checking Banksy was a 'permissible lender'.

The party gave £75,000, the original valuation of the piece, to the gallery and accepted the remaining £120,000. There are various rules governing who can donate sums of more than £200 to UK political parties - for example individuals must be on a UK electoral register."

Further Info:
BBC News