So Where Did the Other £9 Million Come From, Tony?

So we know where £4 million of the £13,950,000 in loans came from. From three people, each of whom we offered a Peerage. So that leaves £9,950,000 left then - and 9.95 peerages perhaps! Labour say they will account for it in their net accounts which will come out in June. I suspect Her Majesty's Press Corps won't be willing to wait that long.

Is it Time for State Funding of Political Parties?

The row over Labour's finances and 'loans for lordships' rumbles on. I'm told the Sunday newspapers are crawling all over the issue. Sky News has just reported that £13,500,000 has been lent! Jesus. What on earth was that spent on? Surely Jack Dromey would have noticed that sum of money going through Labour accounts? I did an interview with Good Morning Scotland on the subject earlier, and my 'co-pundit' was former Labour advisor Scarlett McGwire. She intimated that state funding of political parties would be the only way to solve the problem of transparency in political funding. Patricia Hewitt on the Today programme blamed the media for insinuating that all political donations are sleazy and thus the public become brainwashed into thinking that all politicians and businesspeople are on the make, when the truth is that 99% of politicians are honest and most people who donate money expect nothing in return. Up to a point. I believe that we are reaching a point when we will have to decide on state funding. It is anathema to me to even consider it as I do not believe the State should be involving itself in political funding beyond what it already does in providing HM Opposition with so-called Short Money. However, we are getting to a point where no one in their right mind will consider giving money to political parties if they are automatically accused of some sort of 'honour buying'. Gone are the days when political parties could raise a high proportion of their income from a mass membership. So if they are denied the opportunity of raising funds from elsewhere we may have to bow to the inevitable. But if we do, it will not be a simple matter. How would such a system work? Would money be allocated by votes cast, number of MPs, should there be some mechanism to reward to recruitment of new members? Would state funding only be given to political parties with parliamentary representation? Would there be a vote hurdle which you would have to jump in order to be eligible for state funding? How high should that be? High enough to exclude the BNP, perhaps? This is a complete hornet's nest and I imagine it would be up to the Electoral Commission to come up with a proposal. Another excuse for this burgeoning quango to expand its huge staff and budget, no doubt. As you will have gathered, my heart tells me to oppose state funding, but my head tells me that we're getting to the point where it is going to be inevitable. If that's the case, Ken Clarke's Democracy Commission had better startb thinking about how the Conservative Party believes it should work.

Who was the Labour MP Berating the Dear Leader?

This was the scene in Portcullis House just after PMQs on Wednesday when the Dear Leader was being harangued by a female Labour MP. Anyone know who it could be? Thanks to my 'snout' for the mobile phone pic!

UDATE 8pm: I am reliably informned by a Toery MP who witnessed the confrontation that the MP in question is Phyllis Starkey, known as the Rosa Kleb of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

You Couldn't Make It Up

Matt Carter was General Secretary ofthe Labour Party at the time of the dodgy loans. He has written a book called "The Development of Ethical Socialism". Perhaps he should send a copy to Lord Levy.

Ming' Memoirs: The Plot Thickens

I wrote about Ming Campbell publishing his memoirs in September a few days ago. It seems he had hired a lobby hack to ghost them, but has now decided he needs a different approach and dispensed with their services. Instead, someone who has what is described to me as a more "flowery" approach has been taken on. What can it all mean?

Coming tomorrow: The winner of the Name the Ming Campbell Memoirs Competition

The Morning After the Night Before

I didn't get home from West Ham until 12.45am due to roadworks in the Blackwall Tunnel and the A21 being closed. But who cares after a victory like that?! Two and a quarter hours to drive 40 miles. Although there is a serious point here. Why on earth do roadworks in the Blackwall Tunnel on a night when you know there will be thousands more cars wanting to use it than normal? And this wasn't the first time. Surely Transport for London could look at a fixtures list? An Integrated transport strategy? Huh!

Come on You Irons!

Reporting live from Upton Park... It's bloody cold!

Labour Finance Scandal Breaks

I have just been listening to Jack Dromey,the Labour Party Treasurer, on 5 Live. He sounded like a broken man, as well he might. Imagine you are Finance Director of a company and you find out that your chief exec has taken out huge loans without your knowledge. You have two choices. You either resign or you set out to get the bastard. Jack Dromey (who doubles as Mr Harriet Harman) has chosen the latter course of action. It's not just the procuring of the loans that raises questions. It's what then happened to the money, because Mr Dromey seems to have no idea. After all, he is only legally responsible for all Labour Party income and expenditure! So who solicited the loans? I wonder how hot Lord Levy's telephone will be tonight...

Buy Your Very Own Virtual Peerage

I support Elect the Lords, the campaign for an elected House of Lords. They have just sent me this email.

Did you know that 17 of the 22 individuals who have donated £100,000 or more to Labour in the last few years have been given an honour, and that all but one who have donated more than £1m has been given a peerage?This has given the Elect the Lords campaign a great fundraising idea - why not sell Virtual Peerages? A Virtual Peerage won't get you a vote in the House of Lords. You won't get any land (on the other hand it also means you won't be expected to open any village fetes!). You will however gain an attractive certificate of inauthenticity and your full title will be listed on this website as a mark of our gratitude.Purchase a Marquisate or a Duchy and we will even design you a Coat of Arms using the traditional method of Ye Olde Photoshoppe handed down the generation.Back in the real world, your money will be spent on campaigning for a democratic second chamber. The government have promised a free vote on the composition of the upper house in this Parliament - it could be just months away! We urgently need funds to ensure we can put pressure on MPs to respect the opinions of the vast majority of UK citizens who want the second chamber to be at least predominantly elected.Tony Blair has appointed more than 300 life peers - 50% more than any other Prime Minister in history. We're hoping to beat that record by appointing more than 300 virtual peers in the next MONTH.Donating money to us in this way won't "buy" you a democratic second chamber, but you can be sure it will be a great help!As an introductory offer, we are currently offering a 25% discount on all Virtual Peerages. As an exclusive offer to supporters, we are offering an extra 10% off on top of that! But hurry - this offer must end on 22 March!Click on one of the options below to make your purchase (you will be taken to the PayPal website for processing your payment):
Buy a Baronetcy for just £7.50 £6.50
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Buy an Earldom for just £75 £65
Buy a Marquesatecy for just £225 £195 (limited to 50)
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The Elect the Lords campaign regrets that it cannot accept a loan as payment.

As do I!

The Prime Minister in Visit to Parliament Shock

The PM was chatting with an MP in the Atrium of Portcullis House this afternoon. A Tory MP, observing the scene, remarks...

"Now that's a rare sighting of the PM. I hope he doesn't come over to me, thinking I'm one of his - he's here so rarely doesn't recognise his own Party members. Actually, it's probably Rory Bremner".

Losing Letters in the Home Office

One of the key grey areas in the Budd inquiry into Blunkett in November/December 2004 concerned two missing faxes sent from his private office to the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate on 29 April 2003. These were part of a series of faxes and telephone calls from Blunkett’s office to the IND at the time when Leoncia Casalme’s case was being processed. Sir Alan Budd’s report said: ‘I conclude that one or more of the faxes and telephone calls related to Ms Casalme’s case. As the record shows, four faxes were sent from Mr Blunkett’s private office to IND on 29 April (x 2), 1 May and 2 May. I cannot discover which fax the P[rivate] S[ecretary] for Immigration is referring to in her email of 8 May, as these documents are no longer available’. It has never been explained how or why these key documents went missing – or why correspondence from the Home Secretary himself was not kept on file.

Now, move on a couple of years. By now, you would have thought that the Home Office would have put it's house in order and ensured that important bits of correspondence did not go missing. Sadly that doesn't appear to be the case. On Question Time a couple of weeks ago Sir Nicholas Winterton made an assertion about the Home Office and David Mills which Charles Clarke took issue with in a letter. His Special advisor emailed the letter to Sir Nicholas, and added at the bottom of the email: "Please reply directly to me so your reply doesn't get lost within the Home Office." Nothing's changed then. It's still the monolithic bureaucracy it always was, and quite capable of 'losing' correspondence when it's convenient.

Reminder: Tory Documentary on BBC4 Tonight

Just a reminder that idf you can tear yourself away from the West Ham game tonight, the second episode of Tory! Tory! Tory! is being shown on BBC4 at 9pm (repeated at 12.10am and 2.40am). The first episode was one of the best documentaries I have seen for ages. I am going to see if the BBC will release it on DVD.

LibDem Lesson No 94 - Don't Gossip in Public

Which Scottish LibDem Shadow Cabinet Member was overheard in the queue for coffee in Portcullis House saying...

"Undermining the leader is so last year. The thing to do now is to undermine the next one."

Huhne can he have been thinking of? Clegged if I know.

The Weakness of Radio 5 Live

The weakness of Radio 5 Live and their dilemma of how to mix news and sport was amply demonstrated today. Instead of having their usual hour discussing PMQs and other political issues of the day, they are at the racing at Cheltenham. This of all days. And I hate racing. So I am reduced to listening to Jeremy Vine on Radio 2. I don't really like the programme as it's neither one thing nor the other. My partner, however, swears by it. "At least unlike Radio 5 they don't have women trying to sound like men on it," came the retort. Radio 5 isn't known as Radio Bloke for nothing, I suppose!

Cameron Wipes the Floor With Blair

David Cameron has just wiped the floor with Blair at PMQs on the subject of the Education Bill. I have rarely seen Blair look so panicked. Blair took DC to task on why the Conservatives will be voting against the Programme Motion and why the Tories only had a 2 line whip. Cameron hit back saying "You worry about whipping your Party and I'll worry about mine". He then had a dig at Blair about undermining parliamentary scutiny which hit home well. As he says, the PM should worry about convincing his own side. Clear win for Cameron.

Ming Stumbles Again at PMQs

Ming Campbell just landed himself in it again when asking the PM a question about pensions. Eric Forth shouted out "declare your interest!" General collapse of House. Apart, of course, from the LibDem benches, which remained poker-faced. Although I did see John Hemming trying to suppress a snigger. "Bring back Kennedy," shouted someone else. I'll drink to that.

LibDem Spokeswoman Commits to Spending £15 Billion

Jo Swinson is one of the twenty something women who Ming has appointed to his Shadow team, as Scottish Spokesman. She's on the Daily Politics today and has landed herself in a little bit of trouble. As a member of the Ming team she has just committed the LibDems to compensate pensioners who have lost out on pensions misselling to the tune of £15 billion. She says the Contingency Fund should be used to compensate pensioners. I wonder what her colleague Julia Goldsworthy, the other twenty something woman in the Ming team, who is in control of LibDem public spending plans, will make of this? Assuming, of course, she knows how many zeros there are £15 billion (see below).

How the Conservatives Could Cause Chaos over the Education Bill

I shall be at Upton Park, preparing to watch the Hammers (hopefully) progress in the FA Cup tonight when the Education Bill vote takes place - at least I have got my priorities right. But fear not, ladies and gentleman, I have now worked out how to Blog by email. So if you see a new post on tonight between 7pm and 10pm you can imagine me freezing my knackers off singing about Alan Pardew's Claret & Blue Army while typing away on my Blackberry. How sad is that? But I digress. I think tonight's vote might be more interesting than some think. The only way the Labour rebels can defeat the vote, it seems to me, is if there are a significant number of Tory rebels too - by that I mean Tory MPs who vote against the Bill. I think that is unlikely, although I shall be interested to see if my old friend Eric Forth can bring himself to hold his nose and troop into the Aye lobby. I suspect an urgent shopping trip might be on the cards! But what no journalist has picked up upon is that following the Second Reading vote there is a vote on the Programme Motion. A Programme Motion sets out the timetable for the Committee Stage etc. What I am hoping is that the Conservatives vote against this, which then means there would be an open ended Committee Stage and an opportunity to exploit the undoubted divisions within the Labour Party on this subject. It also gives us further opportunities to explain the benefits of school freedom and parental choice. If the Programme Motion is lost the PM suffers a double blow - his authority is undermined by having to rely on Conservative votes in the first place and secures his Ramsay MacBlair place in history, but to lose a Programme vote would be almost as serious and provide further evidence of his administration being on a slippery slope. Lovely jubbly.

Labour Defector Makes Video

ConservativeHome reveals this morning that our very welcome new defector, Rehman Chrishti, from the Labour Party stars in a new video, explaining his reasons for switching. You can watch it HERE. As I was watching it I kept thinking "he reminds me of somebody". And then it hit me. Derek Laud! I wonder if they went to the same elocution school! Mr Chrishti seems very at home in front of the cameras. I have just been speaking to a Labour friend of mine who says they are gutted about it. They apparently had big plans for him.

Josh & Donna - Altogether Now....Aaahh...

This is the trailer being shown on American TV for the final series of the West Wing. It contains a clip as a taster as to what happens between John & Donna. Don't watch it if you want to remain on tenterhooks. DVD out in September. Showing now on More 4, or E4 or whatever they call it now. I'll wait for the DVD. Gorge on 5 episodes at a time. Better than chocolate. Not that I have had any chocolate for three months. Or West Wing. Time for bed, I think. Night.

UPDATE: I've changed the text of the above since it was first posted.