Arrest warrant issued for Lib Dem donor
The Liberal Democrats’ most significant donor Michael Brown has skipped bail and is being sought by police. The Scottish millionaire businessman was due to stand trial for fraud this September but has now dismissed an application for bail. An arrest warrant has now been issued after being approved by a judge from Southwark crown court. […]
Party funding consensus questioned
Increasing state support for political parties will make the party funding problem worse, not better, a thinktank has warned. A report published by Policy Exchange today says adding to existing taxpayer funding for parties, which appears to be the current consensus, will only serve to undermine grassroots activism. It rejects justice secretary Jack Straw’s assertion […]
Harriet Harman cleared over donations row
Harriet Harman has avoided a police investigation over her late reporting of donations for her Labour deputy leadership campaign last year. Ms Harman eventually won the contest to replace John Prescott as the Labour number two but found herself involved in controversy last autumn. The proxy donor scandal eventually forced Peter Hain from the Cabinet […]
‘Sack 150 MPs’ says Lib Dem leader
The number of MPs in the House of Commons should be slashed by 150, the Liberal Democrat leader has suggested. This would cut the cost of the political machine by around £30 million a year, Nick Clegg claimed, and leave parties less dependent on attracting donations. Mr Clegg also said political parties should receive £3 […]
Labour appoints new general-secretary
The Labour party has appointed a new general-secretary after the sudden resignation of Peter Watt last year. David Pitt-Watson was today named the party’s new head by the National Executive Committee. He returns to prominence in the party after serving as assistant general secretary between 1997 and 1999. The 51-year-old has a business background and […]
Tories under pressure to confirm Ashcroft tax status
There is growing pressure on Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft to clarify his tax position. The Tory peer has long refused to confirm whether he is domiciled for tax in the UK but now faces exclusion from the House of Lords unless he can prove his status as a British tax payer. Lord Strathclyde, leader […]
Alexander to face second investigation
Prosecutors have been asked to investigate Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander’s failure to report around £10,000 in donations to her leadership campaign. The Scottish parliamentary standards commissioner Jim Dyer has asked the procurator fiscal to investigate after deciding the donations were gifts to Ms Alexander as an MSP and should have been reported to Holyrood. […]
PM insists Johnson ‘not corrupt’
Gordon Brown has defended his health secretary as the Labour party is beset by another accusation of funding impropriety. The prime minister said Alan Johnson was not corrupt for accepting a third-party donation to his deputy leadership campaign. Yesterday it emerged Mr Johnson, who lost out in the Labour deputy race to Harriet Harman, accepted […]
Fresh donation allegations strike Labour
The extent of the donations scandal afflicting Labour has widened after fresh allegations concerning Cabinet minister Alan Johnson emerged. A newspaper claimed on Sunday the health secretary’s campaign team had accepted a proxy donation worth £3,334 during his unsuccessful 2007 bid to become the party’s deputy leader. The claims come days after work and pensions […]
Brown: I didn’t dither over Hain
Gordon Brown has denied “dithering” over Peter Hain, who resigned from the government yesterday after the Metropolitan police was asked to investigate his failure to report £103,000 in donations. Mr Hain telephoned the prime minister to resign as work and pensions secretary and Welsh secretary immediately after the Electoral Commission said it would refer the […]
