- Labour Minister Lord Digby Jones has been caught in a row over his shareholding in a firm set to benefit significantly from government plans for the NHS.
- Two Labour MPs have reported 80 Conservative MPs to the Electoral Commission over donations from unincorporated associations.
- Good news for Peter Hain: he has won the backing of his local constituency party. (Bad news: this is pretty much like the owner of a football club saying they have full confidence in their manager.)
Meanwhile, in other news Paddy Ashdown is getting a new job – Afghanistan.



5 Comments
Re: Paddy going to Afghanistan:
As the article says, paddy is probably the only British statesman with the experience to tackle a problem like this.
Just shows the calibre of our former leaders, not only intellectually but in the type of work they choose after leaving the commons. Whilst Blair swans around on the lecture circuit and makes his money consulting investment banks, Paddy tries to clear up the mess created by the incompetant alliance of two inept adminstrations – new labour and the neocons.
He did a great job in Bosnia in very difficult circumstances, but I think this will be an even hard task than the Balkans.
Lets wish him luck!
Have we paid back the 2.4M? We’re all implicated in the farce, evidently more Labour (but they’ve had more to offer the putative donor, being in power). If now isn’t the time for Hain to go and some genuine party funding laws coming in, they’ll never be one. As for the 80 Tory MPs, Guido has fisked the 2 Labour MPs who’ve reported them, most unedifying: http://www.order-order.com/2008/01/murkier-and-murkier.html
Why are dinning clubs regarded as dodgy? If some Tory members and supporters or members and supporters want to have a dinner listen to a speach to raise funds?
Simon @3: the issue is if you give money to a dining club that then gives it on and you therefore keep your name secret, when if you gave the money direct you couldn’t keep your name secret.
Clearly we need to set up a list of dinners interest then…
If such a list had existed before Ealing Southall the Tories might have known what to exspect when they chose their candidate.