Ed Miliband tribute to deceased Labour Party donor Andrew Rosenfeld

Labour leader Ed Miliband has paid tribute to a property tycoon and prominent party donor known for living as a tax exile, after he died of a short illness aged 52.

Andrew Rosenfeld, a former Jewish Care trustee, hit the headlines in 2005, after a £1 million loan engulfed him in the ‘cash for honours’ scandal involving Lord Levy.

Together with Sir David Garrard, he founded Minerva PLC, before selling his £100 million stake and leaving to live in Geneva. However Rosenfeld later returned to the UK, founding and listing TPO, a phone operator, before marrying Juliet Soskice, a close friend of Miliband’s.

“I am deeply saddened by the sudden death of my friend Andrew Rosenfeld,” said the Labour leader. “My thoughts are with Juliet and his family.”

In 2010 Rosenfeld switched sides, backing Prime Minister David Cameron as “the man for the job” before returning to Labour a year later, pledging up to £1 million for the general election this year.

Despite keeping a low-profile, Rosenfeld became a political football, with Cameron claiming Miliband’s friendship with a well-known tax exile with assets in the British Virgin Islands made a mockery of Labour’s “responsible capitalism” pledge.

In a statement Rosenfeld’s family said: “[We] are devastated to announce that he passed away yesterday. Andrew was a devoted and loving husband, father and friend.”