Jowell finds support over criticism of Desmond

Female Labour MPs rallied behind Tessa Jowell, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, yesterday to condemn the party's decision to accept a £100,000 donation from Richard Desmond, owner of Express Newspapers and publisher of porn magazines.

Several of the backbenchers, including a former minister, have also complained to Labour's Millbank headquarters about the gift from Mr Desmond, publisher of magazines such as Asian Babes and Mega Boobs. However, government ministers refused to comment on the affair and a minority of female MPs said that they were relaxed about Mr Desmond's involvement.

Ms Jowell followed Clare Short, the International Development Secretary, and Baroness Kennedy, a senior Labour peer, yesterday in attacking the decision to accept the money, claiming Labour had undermined its position on gender equality.

"I don't feel comfortable that the party accepts a donation from somebody who earns part of his income from pornography ... the world's got to move on; you either talk equality or you act equality," she said.

Ms Jowell said that she recognised that there were always dilemmas involved in fund-raising, and welcomed the introduction of a vetting committee in the wake of the row over the donation.

Helen Jackson, MP for Sheffield Hillsborough and a member of the parliamentary committee that meets Tony Blair every week, said Mr Desmond was "a seedy individual. I don't know what we were doing making funding overtures to him in the first place. The vetting committee might well have asked serious questions about him. But I wouldn't pay the money back. I think we have to be a bit realistic that in a democracy there will be people who want to support political parties."

Alice Mahon, MP for Halifax, was scathing about the donation. "We shouldn't be taking money from a pornographer. These are not Labour values. For all my life, I have worked for women's equality in the workplace and outside it. I am very pleased with Tessa and Clare for speaking out. They say it's legal but tobacco is legal and we wouldn't accept money from a tobacco company."

Karen Buck, chairwoman of the London Group of Labour MPs, said: "I don't feel comfortable at all about taking a substantial donation from people who make money from pornography. It sends out the wrong signal, to both women and men, about what we stand for. Alarm bells should have rung when it was even offered."

One former minister disclosed she was among female MPs who had protested to party fund-raisers after details of the donation emerged. "I couldn't believe we have taken money from a person that has published such titles. They may be perfectly legal, but there are ethical and moral questions to be considered. Legality isn't the only question."

Ann Cryer, MP for Keighley, said that Labour ought to adopt an "ethical investments" policy, detailing the kind of companies that would be unacceptable donors.