Labour threat over donations

THE SHADOW Cabinet is considering a threat to make the Conservatives reveal retrospectively the source of foreign donations to party funds if there is a change of government, writes Donald MacIntyre.

That became clear last night after Frank Dobson, Labour's acting campaigns co-ordinator, renewed calls for the Tories to disclose the source of donations from abroad. His call followed the disclosure that Labour had turned down pounds 5m from a Bangladeshi businessman, Dr Moosa Bin-Shamsher, because of its opposition to the practice.

Mr Dobson also called for a halt to what he said was the practice of Conservative ministers seeking donations from foreign businessmen while on official visits abroad. The full extent of the Tories' reliance on foreign donations was unknown, he said. However, in the past they had received pounds 2m from the Greek shipping tycoon John Latsis, and pounds 100,000 from Li Ka-Shing, a Hong Kong businessman.