Call to 'name and shame' Labour's stingy memoir writers

Wednesday, 28 September 2011 11:32 AM

By Alex Stevenson Follow @alex__stevenson

Labour delegates in Liverpool have loudly applauded a call to humiliate wealthy memoir writers who are "not donating sufficiently" to the party.

Alistair Darling, Peter Mandelson and former prime minister Tony Blair are among those who have profited from their political memoirs recently, prompting frustration from backbencher John Mann.

"There's one group of people who are not donating sufficiently and that is Labour MPs with second jobs, former ministers who are out there doing consultancies for private industry," the Bassetlaw MP told the Labour party conference.

"And there's also the book writers who like to tell us about their memoirs. What I'd like to see is in our report the naming of those who've got the bottle to donate money back to the Labour party so we can see who they are, and we can thank them for their donations.

"There'll be some of us will be happy then to name and shame those people who've made a fortune on the back of the Labour party and continue to do so, and aren't prepared to give the money when we need it."

Shadow Cabinet member Angela Eagle, who chaired the session, said his suggestion was "obviously popular", given the audience's reaction.

But Labour treasurer Diana Johnson said Mr Mann's proposal would not be considered further.

This is not the first time Mr Blair has been the subject of implicit criticism in Liverpool. In his conference speech yesterday Mr Miliband told delegates: "The lesson that you've got to be willing to break the consensus, not succumb to it. You know, I'm not Tony Blair."

His audience responded by jeering and booing the former PM.

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• conferences 2011
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