Simon James Dolan[1] (born 20 May 1969) is a British businessman and investor who made his fortune through accountancy services. Since 2020, he has opposed measures by the United Kingdom government linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and has made legal challenges to government decisions. Dolan competed as an amateur driver in international sports car racing, recording a class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2014.
Simon Dolan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 May 1969 Chelmsford, Essex, England |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | Sports car racing, investments, political activism |
| Website | https://www.simon-dolan.com |
Career
editDolan claims that he was "thrown out of school at 16 with virtually no qualifications" and sold cheese and eggs at a market which taught him "the gift-of-the-gab, commitment to hard graft and strong arithmetic"[2][3] Dolan placed an advertisement offering accountancy services which led to the establishment of SJD Accountancy in Berkhamsted in 1997.[2] In 1999, Dolan also set up Contractor Umbrella Ltd. SJD Accountancy was acquired in 2014 along with accounting practice Nixon Williams by Sovereign Capital for over £100 million.[4]
Dolan began investing in start-up companies via Twitter in 2010, initially offering a £5 million investment pot for successful business pitches on the social networking site, earning himself the nickname "Twitter Dragon".[5][6]
Dolan established Dolan Accountancy in 2017.[7] Dolan Accountancy was the winner in the Best Contractor Accountant (under 1,000 clients) category in the 2019 Contracting Awards.[8]
According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2020, Dolan is worth £200 million.[9]
Political activism
editIn 2020, Dolan founded Keep Britain Free, a group associated with the British anti-lockdown movement.[10]
Dolan is the author of a book outlining the achievements of former US President Donald Trump entitled Trump: the Hidden Halo that was published in April 2021 with a foreword by Nigel Farage.[11]
Opposition to UK COVID-19 lockdown and judicial review
editDolan believes that the British government has ulterior motives for the COVID-19 lockdowns. He sees it as a way for those in power to "test how malleable a society is" in order to limit citizens' freedom, or as a way to introduce mandatory vaccinations. Dolan also referenced climate change, which he says the government has "been banging on about". He said: "What has happened will undoubtedly help [climate change campaigns], because the world has become cleaner as industries have shut down." According to Dolan, people who receive “a cheque for nothing” are the ones supporting the lockdown" [12]
On 1 May 2020, Dolan started proceedings to challenge the UK Government's lockdown decision, suggesting the Government had acted illegally and disproportionately over the COVID-19 lockdown.[13] He began a crowdfunding campaign to fund the proposed action, writing on the crowdfunding page: "By forcing people to stay at home, and forcing businesses to close, they are, we believe, in contravention of basic Human Rights offered under English Law, that of the right to enjoy your property peacefully."[14] As of 10 June it had raised over £210,000 with almost 7,000 people contributing.[15] The proceedings were opposed by The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) who stated, "The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) is applying to intervene in a High Court legal challenge brought by multi-millionaire Simon Dolan. Dolan, a conspiracy theorist and businessman based in Monaco, is attempting to force the government to prematurely end the lockdown, a move that would disproportionately impact low-paid and BAME workers."[16]
On 6 July 2020, Dolan was refused permission for judicial review by the Honourable Mr Justice Lewis, who said that "the restrictions were imposed [during] a global pandemic where a novel, highly infectious disease capable of causing death was spreading and was transmissible between humans...There was a legal duty to review the restrictions periodically and to end the restrictions if they were no longer necessary to achieve the aim of reducing the spread and the incidence of coronavirus. The regulations would end after six months in any event. In those, possibly unique, circumstances, there is no realistic prospect that a court would find that regulations adopted to reduce the opportunity for transmission by limiting contact between individuals was disproportionate".[14] On 9 July, Dolan launched an appeal against the decision.[17][14]
Dolan's appeal against the initial decision was successful and on 5 August the Court of Appeal ruled that the challenge against the government's lockdown would continue to be heard with Lord Justice Hickinbottom who stated that he was persuaded that the grounds should be considered by the full court in open court, and the claimants "given an opportunity to make good their case, at least on arguability".[18] Dolan's judicial review challenged the then new UK rule of a limit of six people per group otherwise known as the rule of six on 14 September.[19] On 1 December, it was ruled that the Government should not face a Judicial Review regarding the initial lockdown measures. The court warned against treating judicial reviews as evolving or “rolling” proceedings, and parties filing “excessively long” pleadings. The court criticised Dolan and the other Appellants for taking two months to start their claim, rather than very promptly following the making of the Regulations in March 2020.[20]
Dolan has opposed the UK government's adoption of the Pfizer vaccine.[21] He also has claimed that requiring people to wear masks is a step toward authoritarianism, tweeting, 'Unless you make a stand, you will be wearing a mask for the rest of your life.'[22]
In January 2021, Dolan was a cosignatory[23] of an open letter titled 'The Chinese Communist Party's Global Lockdown Fraud', alleging pro-Chinese government bias by international scientists and officials.[24] According to a Coda Story report, Dolan "said there was 'no doubt' that the global response to the pandemic’s origins lay within the Communist Party of China. He implied that 'pictures of people supposedly dropping dead in the streets of China' was part of a propaganda campaign by Beijing."[25]
Motor racing
editDolan's interest in motor racing began in March 2007 when he started investing in Jota Sport, which he joined later in 2008 as driver[citation needed]. In 2010, Jota Sport signed a multi-year agreement to become an Aston Martin official partner team in motorsports.[26] Jota initially competed in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage at the 2010 24 Hours of Spa where the team won their class.[27] Dolan and co-driver Sam Hancock participated in the V de V Sports series with a best finish of third at Circuit Paul Ricard. Dolan made his debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011.
Dolan's career highlight was 1st place in the LMP2 class at Le Mans in 2014 with Harry Tincknell and Oliver Turvey, who replaced Marc Gené after he was recalled to Team Joest Audi Sport LMP1 team following an accident in practice for Loic Duval.[28]
Following a sponsorship deal with Russian energy company Gazprom, the team competed as G-Drive Racing for the 2016 European Le Mans Series following a transfer of naming rights.[29] Racing in a Gibson 015S, Dolan and G-Drive's season got underway at Silverstone Circuit, United Kingdom, in April, where they recorded their opening win of the season in the LMP2 category.[30] The victory was followed up with a runners-up finish at the following race at Imola, in May 2016. The team's good performance continued throughout the season and was capped with a victory in the final race of the season at Estoril, in Portugal. The victory secured the 2016 European Le Mans Series title for G-Drive Racing. Dolan topped the Drivers' classification alongside teammates Giedo Van Der Garde and Harry Tincknell, all securing 105 points.[31]
Journey to Le Mans
editDolan was the focus of a 2014 British film, directed by Dolan's business partner[32] Charlotte Fantelli, that followed Jota Sport on their quest to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 category in 2014. The film followed Dolan and his Jota Sport teammates on their way to victory.
Racing results
edit24 Hours of Le Mans results
edit| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 |  Jota
|
Sam Hancock Chris Buncombe
|
Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT2 | GTE Pro |
74 | DNF | DNF |
| 2012 | Jota
|
Sam Hancock Haruki Kurosawa
|
Zytek Z11SN-Nissan | LMP2 | 271 | DNF | DNF |
| 2013 | Jota Sport
|
Oliver Turvey Lucas Luhr
|
Zytek Z11SN-Nissan | LMP2 | 319 | 13th | 7th |
| 2014 | Jota Sport
|
Oliver Turvey Harry Tincknell
|
Zytek Z11SN-Nissan | LMP2 | 356 | 5th | 1st |
| 2015 | Jota Sport
|
Oliver Turvey Mitch Evans
|
Gibson 015S-Nissan | LMP2 | 358 | 10th | 2nd |
| 2016 |  G-Drive Racing
|
Jake Dennis Giedo van der Garde
|
Gibson 015S-Nissan | LMP2 | 222 | DNF | DNF |
Complete European Le Mans Series results
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Jota | LMP2 | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | LEC 9 |
DON Ret |
ATL | 16th | 2 | |||
| 2013 | Jota Sport | LMP2 | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL 1 |
IMO Ret |
RBR 4 |
HUN 3 |
LEC 3 |
3rd | 71 | |
| 2014 | Jota Sport | LMP2 | Zytek Z11SN | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL Ret |
IMO 1 |
RBR 2 |
LEC 4 |
EST 3 |
2nd | 74 | |
| 2015 | Jota Sport | LMP2 | Gibson 015S | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL 2 |
IMO 3 |
RBR 1 |
LEC 3 |
EST 4 |
3rd | 89 | |
| 2016 | G-Drive Racing | LMP2 | Gibson 015S | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL 1 |
IMO 2 |
RBR 3 |
LEC 5 |
SPA 5 |
EST 1 |
1st | 103 |
Source:[34]
| ||||||||||||
Personal Life
editDolan is a car enthusiast. His collection includes a Pagani Zonda, a Koenigsegg One:1 and a 2010 Ferrari F1 Car.[35]
Dolan owns numerous properties internationally: an apartment in Monaco, an apartment in Amsterdam, a villa in Mustique once owned by David Bowie, a chateau in South-West France and an estate in Las Vegas.[36] In January 2024, the Las Vegas property was put on sale for $24.5 Million.[37]
References
edit- ^ "Simon James DOLAN". Companies House. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- ^ a b Bearne, Suzanne (4 June 2018). "The high school dropout who banked £80m". BBC News. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ Dolan, Simon (18 August 2011). "The Telegraph – You don't need a degree to get ahead". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ Reed, Kevin (22 September 2014). "£100m private equity deal creates new accounting group". Accountancy Age.
- ^ Kaffash, Jaimie (31 August 2011). "Simon says reform the partnership model". Accountancy Age. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
- ^ Hurley, James (14 June 2010). "Successful business pitches via twitter get 800k investment". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ "Meet the Team - Nationwide Contractor Accountants". Dolan Accountancy. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Winners 2019". The Contracting Awards 2020.
- ^ Times, The Sunday (25 June 2023). "Rich List 2020: profiles 601-700=, featuring Ed Sheeran and Calvin Harris" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Edkins, Darcey (22 September 2020). "Keep Britain Free founder says he is 'pro-choice' not 'anti-face mask' on London Underground". MyLondon. Reach plc. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ^ "Trump: The Hidden Halo". Biteback Publishing. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ^ "Are the Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories Real?". www.vice.com. 15 May 2020.
- ^ Jones, Amy (1 May 2020). "Leading businessman launches legal challenge against Government's lockdown measures". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ a b c Sillars, James (6 July 2020). "Coronavirus: Businessman loses legal fight over 'draconian' lockdown". Sky News. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ "Crowd Justice legal challenge". Crowd Justice. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "Lockdown is required to protect BAME and low paid workers' lives, IWGB to argue in High Court intervention". iwgb.org.uk.
- ^ "Keep Britain Free – Appeal". 9 July 2020. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ Slingo, Jemma (28 August 2020). "Lockdown legal challenge reaches next stage of litigation". Law Gazette. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ Hymas, Charles (10 September 2020). "'Rule of six' restrictions already facing legal challenge". The Telegraph. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
- ^ "Challenge to lockdown regulations heard by the Court of Appeal – Judgment". 1 December 2020.
- ^ "UK Covid-19 vaccine rollout sparks false infertility claims". First Draft. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
- ^ "Misinformation on coronavirus is proving highly contagious". AP NEWS. 29 July 2020.
- ^ Ahmed, Nafeez (12 January 2021). "LBC Radio Host Maajid Nawaz Bankrolled by US Republican Dark Money". Byline Times.
- ^ "The Chinese Communist Party's Global Lockdown Fraud". Medium. 10 January 2021.
- ^ Loucaides, Darren (9 August 2021). "Inside the UK's anti-lockdown media machine". Coda Story. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ "Jota Sport Sign Aston Martin Deal". 8 June 2010. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012.
- ^ "Team Jota win Spa 24 Hours in GT4". 2 August 2010.
- ^ "Le Mans 24 Hours: Marc Gene to replace Duval in #1 Audi". crash.net. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
- ^ "JOTA Sport Announces Partnership With Gazprom Neft" Archived 13 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine fiawec.com
- ^ "Van der Garde wins on sportscar debut with Jota in Silverstone ELMS" autosport.com/
- ^ "ELMS Estoril: Van der Garde seals championship in Jota Sport Gibson" autosport.com/
- ^ "The Business : This is a news story". www.bizmag.co.uk.
- ^ "Simon Dolan". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Simon Dolan Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
- ^ Bearne, Suzanne (18 August 2018). "'I earn £3m a year, but I don't just throw money away'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Bearne, Suzanne (18 August 2018). "'I earn £3m a year, but I don't just throw money away'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
- ^ Bowman, Wendy (23 January 2024). "A Wealthy British Entrepreneur Flips Steve Wynn's Former Las Vegas Mansion Back Up for Sale". Robb Report. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
