Tory minister Hugo Swire has been filmed cracking jokes about benefit claimants . Tory minister Hugo Swire has been filmed cracking jokes about benefit claimants at a glamorous party fundraiser. The foreign office minister hosted an auction at the dinner at which donors bid for high-value items – and suggested even those living on welfare could afford to pay £60,000. Mr Swire was the star turn at the secretive Black and White Ball, at which ministers and senior MPs mingle with financiers, industry bosses and other donors to raise money for the General Election. Covert filming of the event has shown Mr Swire - a former director of Sotheby’s - acting as the auctioneer, selling lots including a shoe shopping session with Theresa May, and dinner with Boris Johnson. While bidding is underway for one item, he is heard trying to persuade a guest, who is sitting on the table of Work and Pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith, to increase his bid. ‘£60,000?’, he says. ‘Ian, persuade him. He’s not on benefits is he? Well if he is then he can afford it.’ He then goes lower, suggesting ‘£55,000?’ At another point in the auction, he comments on the expensive cars the guests are driving. ‘It’s quite naff to have Bentley’s and Rolls Royce and Ferraris because anybody could have them’, he says. And in a reference to the lifestyle of MPs before the 2009 expenses scandal, he said: ‘In the good old days of MP’s expenses we could have them too, but we don’t anymore’. His comments will embarrass the party, after ministers have repeatedly said that the drive to cut welfare has meant ‘difficult decisions’. Unemployment benefit is worth up to £72.40 a week. Old Etonian Mr Swire was elected the MP for East Devon in 2001. He is related to the Swire Group trading dynasty in Hong Kong. During the expenses scandal he was found to have claimed £395 for a laptop bag from the designer brand Mulberry, which he repaid. The footage provides the first public view inside the Ball at the Grosvenor House Hotel – for which donors have paid between £500 and £1,500 a ticket. It was obtained by Paul Wilmott, a hedge fund boss who joined all three major political parties offering a £50,000 donation, in order to highlight the issue of cash for access to politicians for Channel’s 4’s Dispatches programme shown last night. The table plan this year was kept a closely-guarded secret but Mr Willmott, who sat with Welsh secretary Stephen Crabb, said Mr Cameron was on a table with hedge fund manager Andrew Law, City broker Michael Spencer and Ann Summers tycoon Jacqueline Gold. The final bids for the auction items and who bought them is not made public after the dinner, although all donations over £7,500 are properly declared to the Electoral Commission. Hugo Swire was the star turn at the secretive Black and White Ball, at which ministers and senior MPs mingle with financiers, industry bosses and other donors to raise money for the General Election . The fake donor used by Dispatches Paul Wilmott was able to shake hands with David Cameron at the Tory Black and White Ball . Subaskaran Allirajah, the founder of the telephone company Lyca Mobile who sat at a table with treasury minister David Gauke, bid £210,000 for a small bronze statue of Margaret Thatcher. Mr Wilmott shakes hands with David Cameron, and also meets Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, four cabinet ministers and two members of the shadow cabinet, shortly after offering financial support. He approached the Conservative party around six months ago and was also invited to lunch with health secretary Jeremy Hunt along with other donors. Sir Alistair Graham, the former commissioner for standards in public life told Dispatches: ‘I suspect not a lot of policy issues are dealt with at a dinner like that. But I think it’s about that feeling, if I make reasonable donations, I’m in a special club who’ve got access to leaders and that might be extremely useful as far as my business is concerned in the future.’ The Conservative party say ‘the fact that donors are invited to attend events with senior figures within the party is clearly and openly stated on our website.’ They deny any impropriety and say all donations are properly declared to the Electoral Commission. Mr Swire was not available for comment. Mr Wilmott is also filmed having a private meeting with Labour’s Chris Leslie, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, to discuss tax matters which could benefit his firm – after offering a donation. Mr Leslie tells him in a follow-up email that he will consider Mr Wilmott’s views about a possible tax on financial transactions ‘ahead of our manifesto’. Labour denied that donors influence party policy. The same businessman approached Labour offering a donation, and was swiftly offered a private meeting with a shadow minister. Paul Wilmott discussed making a donation to the party at last autumn’s annual conference in Manchester, and was invited to a £350-a-head donors’ dinner for free. There, he shook hands with leader Ed Miliband and sat with shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan and small business spokesman Toby Perkins MP. Fake donor Paul Wilmott was put in touch with shadow treasury minister Chris Leslie after offering to make a donation . Back in London, he was put in touch with shadow treasury minister Chris Leslie to discuss the policy he was particularly interested in – a tax on financial transactions which Labour is considering. Over tea at a hotel in Westminster, he is filmed giving his views on the tax and explains how it could help his fictional firm developing software for the hedge fund industry. In a follow-up email, Mr Leslie tells him: ‘Many thanks for this Paul…I think you make some good points about the best way to introduce an FTT…I’ll have a good think about some of these good points ahead of our manifesto but I appreciate any updates you might have along the way.’ Sir Alistair Graham, ex-standards commissioner said: ‘The point about having access to opposition key leaders like Chris Leslie is of course normally their policies are much more fluid. They’re trying to develop policies they think are going to be attractive to the public and you see a specific reference to the manifesto…’ ‘I suspect that the Labour Party would have been quite happy to have his input given his expertise but in this particular case the meeting happened very quickly because he was a prospective donor.’ A Labour party spokesman said frontbenchers regularly meet with business leaders to listen to their views and that ‘donations will not influence our policy.’ Channel 4's Dispatches: How to Buy a Meeting with a Minister .
Hugo Swire hosted an auction for donors to bid for high-value items . Foreign office was the star turn at the secretive Black and White Ball . Covert filming of the event has shown Mr Swire acting as the auctioneer . He sold lots including a shoe-shopping session with Theresa May .