.Shock admissions by one of Tony Blair's closest aides are set to lead to three people being charged in the Cash For Honours scandal. The News of the World can reveal that the Prime Minister's political secretary John McTernan "started the dominos falling" when quizzed by cops. These dominos are expected to come crashing down around Blair, who yesterday pleaded with the Labour Party to be allowed to stay on in Downing Street. We can reveal:
*THE new evidence led to two arrests and Mr Blair being questioned by detectives.
* NOW three people, including two of the PM's closest aides, the Prime Minister's fundraiser Lord Levy and his head of government relations Ruth Turner, are set to be charged.
* SUBSTANTIAL new evidence, including McTernan's diaries, has now been disclosed to the Crown Prosecution Service.
* MR BLAIR may now be questioned again, possibly even under caution, after he failed to give
satisfactory answers to police.
Sources at the Crown Prosecution Service say they think police now have enough evidence to bring charges. Lord Levy faces two, abuse of honours and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Miss Turner can expect to be charged with Perverting the Course of Justice. And Sir
Christopher Evans, the millionaire who lent Labour £1million in May 2005, faces a charge under the 1925 Honours (Prevention of Abuse) Act. And last night CPS sources said they think the Prime Minister will be questioned again, a third time, possibly under caution. Downing Street aides have been warned the worse case scenario is possible within the next few weeks. In his police interview the PM told detectives he would "get back to them" with answers to key questions.CPS sources say the police are unhappy with the incomplete answers they were given. The Crown Prosecution Service have now spent 11 months working with detectives investigating the affair. Now they believe enough evidence has been amassed to make charges stick. It was the McTernan breakthrough that led to Miss Turner and then Lord Levy being arrested in the past two weeks. In between those arrests Mr Blair was secretly quizzed at No 10. The new developments came after the News of the World revealed that a mole at the heart of Downing Street told of secretly deleted emails and memos that proved at least two people had been lying to police — that mole was McTernan. He also told police about meetings concerning Labour donors who had been offered peerages. Miss Turner and Lord Levy had previously denied the existence of this
sensational evidence. But McTernan said the emails were between him and Turner.
Detectives have also examined the diaries of McTernan and other Downing Street aides which prove secret meetings took place. McTernan's diary is understood to have revealed at least one meeting about rewarding "high value" donors. After denials that the emails existed, police trawled the Downing Street server and found they had been secretly deleted. The emails
discussed a meeting on how to reward "prominent supporters of the Labour Party". That meeting was between Lord Levy and Tony Blair and his chief of staff Jonathan Powell. It is now at the centre of the police inquiry. The CPS have also been shown evidence that TURNER may have deleted the emails discussing the meeting. Both Lord Levy and Miss Turner have been interviewed under caution about whether they had tried to avoid telling the police the whole
story
If this is true - and my gut feeling is that there is something in it - then there will be a few people needing a change of underpants in Number Ten this morning. And John McTernan can say goodbye to the safe Labour seat he was expecting at the next election.
37 comments:
What ?! McNumpty wanted to become an MP ?? Ha, ha, ha - that's really cheered me up ! !
I still dont think anything will happen to our tone , my problem how on earth Mr McBroon is staying out of this ,did our tone never speak to Mr McBroon
Not much that we didn't already know.
Good story about Faria though(- I must get more money), and she's right about most women.
Even if the story is wildy exaggerated, sooner or later the tipping point will be reached and Labour MPs will start getting rid of Blair.
Anonymous @ 11.24 - yes where the hell is Brown? How has he managed to exclude himself from this investigation? And is this how he's going to act as PM?
Do you not think this inquiry really ought to be halted 'in the national interest' before it does any more damage?
After all the sensibilities of our ruling Party are surely of more importance than those of a bunch of Saudi Princes.
Time for the AG - the courageous Lord Goldsmith, donator to Labour Party Funds and ennobled by His Toniness - to do his stuff I reckon
Brown ran the last election campaign. To suggest that he wasn't aware of a spare 12-14 million pounds of funds can suggest only 1 of 3 possibilities:
1.He's lying.
2.He is totally financially incompetent.
3. He's both of the above.
How was this money (incoming and outgoing) accounted for?
Where was I reading that Levy too was singing like a canary? Oh yes, the Mail on Sunday, seems very possible that there will be some charges coming out of this affair. My grouse today is that the news is full of two items Bl;air and birds!
Fancy spoiling the fun.
Now we know who Deep Throat is
'Deep Throat' makes a surprising guest appearance in the film 'Last King of Scotland'.
Hmm..I wouldn't want to be a stool pigeon with all bird flu around..
I don't believe that anybody working directly for Bliar in Downing Street could tell the truth about anything. Would McTernan really tell the truth? Come off it. Mind you , it would be nice to see Bliar led away by Springfield police (Met division) in handcuffs out of the front door of Number 10!
What about the nuclear option? If Bliar thinks its going to hit the fan, he would hate to think that Labour just carried on without him. That would be bad for his legacy wouldnt it?
Surely he would take Gordo with him, after all there is no way Gordo wasnt involved in all this, one rash comment from Tone to Knacker would see him deep in it regardless of outcome.
Please, please, please let, just, one quarter of this story be true.
Isn't Leo still in nappies or is this a reference to Euan being out on the piss again?
We'll have to wait and see what comes of this, although it is looking worse by the second (which is nice).
I wonder what would make McTernan dish the dirt? Do you think he has entered into some bargaining with the police to limit the sentence he might get, knowing that he is going down with the rest of them?
Excellent piece iain, think I'll nip out and buy some ballons and bunting for the street party! Don't want to be caught on the hoof when Blair gets the boot.
Don't worry abour Brown getting away with anything. He's in this up to his neck and the right people know about it.
But remember: softly softly catchee monkey.
When Blair's gone the campaign against Gordon will start in earnest. That's when it will have most impact and it will destroy Labour's electoral chances for a generation.
Suggests then that McTernan was the missing other part of the conspiracy to pervert. Cutting a deal to reduce his jail time. Probably prove to be wise to be the one that blinked first - what have the others got to give up to Knacker now in order to reduce their time? Have to be Tony - or (please God) Brown's role in all this. I don't buy for one minute the notion that Brown was blissfully unaware as the money rolled in. That will be a fascinating Stage 2 of this enquiry. Especially if he is PM by then. Ha!!
And WHERE IS GORDON BROWN? Having a spine fitted perhaps? Or perhaps just an outsize nappy, for when Knacker knocks on the door of No. 11...
In one way, I'm enjoying the slow drip, drip, drip of torture on the smug, self-lauding,lying Blair. Most entertaining. On the other hand, I want the final act to hurry up. Blair led away in handcuffs. Or, better, yet, led away as the Mafia used to be led away in the US - with a blanket or a coat thrown over their manacled wrists, so no one can see the actual cuffs. That's even sleazier and more fitting.
Levy has already said he's not taking the hit. He is incalculably more intelligent than Blair and I'm sure he has his plans in place. So Blair will get it between the eyes and, on the 'hung for a sheep as a lamb' theory, that's when he'll start singing about Brown. For sure, Blair will not take the hit for Brown.
With both these scumbags removed from the public arena, "New" Labour is dead meat.
Levy has come out again today and stated he will not "carry the can" for anybody.
That's a warning for Tony (and Gordon)
So far all the talk is about corrupt party funding. My experience in life is that once people reckon that the rules don't apply to them, they mean all the rules. I'd expect evidence of some personal corruption to emerge eventually. Beyond freebie holidays and cowboy outfits, I mean.
Verity how's this?
Brown caught colluding in a tax fiddle and Blair siphoning off some of that £14 million for his own use.
Neither scenario would suprise me.
Just the thought of the pair of them in the same cell makes me glow all over.
Anon 2:40 - Yes. Levy has made himself very clear on several occasions now. He's more intelligent than Blair and he's a stronger person than Blair, and he's a street fighter. Neither Blair nor Brown is any match for him.
Think about it: Blair has absolutely nothing he can offer Levy. Levy's already a self-made squillionaire. He certainly doesn't need money. He's already a lord, so an offer of preferment would be of no interest. Blair's playing a very weak hand and I would not be surprised if Levy has a couple of aces, or at least a couple of kings he is holding.
Also, if his passport has not been confiscated, I would not be surprised if he did not flee to Israel, where he has right of abode, and fight extradition from there.
I am praying Blair gets arrested specifically because anyone who has been arrested cannot get a visa to get in to the US. There go the speaking engagements.
Tony and the Blairina have just bought another house, by the way, in a Kensington mews. This brings their mortgage obligation up to £20,000 amonth. They'll be counting on those speaking engagements for Tony in the US. Especially as the fishwife doesn't really go to her chambers any more. I read that she only makes around £30,000 a year now. How much is that after tax?
Peter Hitchens "Just the thought of the pair of them in the same cell makes me glow all over."
You just know that Gordon would get shafted all over again.
"But Tony, you agreed that it was my turn to play the boy today..."
Yes to Dearie Me and PHitch. I don't know why I didn't think of that myself. Of course, people don't keep their corruption corralled in one tiny area of their lives. It pervades their entire existence.
And we know Blair and the fishwife are very, very greedy for a lifestyle they can't afford.
I agree with both of you.
In fact ... if Levy knows of any irregularities - on top of the fact that the entire funding was one giant irregularity - this may be one of the aces or kings I was referring to him holding.
Men like Levy never leave themselves without an advantage.
If, hypothetically there was a court case against Blair and he was found innocent, he could still never relax, since now that he's abolished the rule of double jeopardy he could never be sure that he wouldn't be tried again if new information ever came to light.
Anon 3:16. What a cheering thought!
Sabretache said...
Do you not think this inquiry really ought to be halted 'in the national interest' before it does any more damage?
After all the sensibilities of our ruling Party are surely of more importance than those of a bunch of Saudi Princes.
Time for the AG - the courageous Lord Goldsmith, donator to Labour Party Funds and ennobled by His Toniness - to do his stuff I reckon
this load of astroturf appears on guidos site to how sweet that no10 work on sunday
marquee mark said... 2:07 PM
" And WHERE IS GORDON BROWN? Having a spine fitted ? '
Just too luscious a remark not to be given another innings.
News of the Screws is hardly known for its political coverage is it? Not even sure they've got any political journalists - unless they are using the fake sheikh!!
Pity poor Jack McConnell? He must be wishing he had Derek Draper to help him.
I don't see any reason why McT shouldn't get his safe seat. No.10 has made this far worse for itself by spin and dissimulation, not to mention trying to bully the police (doh!). If McT turns out to be the one person in No.10 who had the balls to tell the truth, then he'll deserve to made deputy PM (after he gets out of prison, of course).
Iain, where's the credit for the cartoon? Did Andy Davey do it? ..or was he just happy for someone to cut faces out of his cartoons and paste them into their own?
Here are the originals:
http://www.andydavey.com/06-017%20schools%20cash%20for%20honours.html
http://www.andydavey.com/06-027%20Clarke-Blair%20race.html
Poldraw, I was sent this by one of my readers. They didn't want a credit. I was unaware of the faces being taken from another cartoon. Not quite sure what to do not, to be honest...
Iain, unless it's Andy who's been cutting and pasting his own work, it clearly violates copyright laws.
However I'm not Andy Davey's spokesperson in any shape or form, so I can't say what he'd like you to do.
I'm all for bloggers like yourself showcasing cartoonists. Political cartooning is an impossibly small business, so it could be a great chance for some eager talent to be seen.
The copyright principle is important though - even online.
dearieme said...
"So far all the talk is about corrupt party funding. My experience in life is that once people reckon that the rules don't apply to them, they mean all the rules. I'd expect evidence of some personal corruption to emerge eventually."
Couldn't agree more with that.
1. There's been something odd about the way that Blair has been whisked around the country totally apart from any protesters for the purposes of TV reports: I remember Mrs Thatcher being shown on TV as being literally accompanied by protesters.
2. Almost a total lack of political satire on TV for ten years. How has Blair/Brown managed to avoid a re-launch of Spitting Image? (A. by allowing changes to the ownership structures of the 15 ITV companies, and now Murdoch a hand in the future of ITV).
3. The way that Nu-Lab have always out-maneuvered Tory party media "announcements" and election campaigning. (As if they've hacked their system/have a mole/bug).
4. What would have happened if Hutton had had Police powers of investigation?
Tone Made Me Do It - What a very interesting post! You're right on every point.
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