Labour admits breaking law on party donations

Labour admitted 120 breaches of the law on political donations worth a total of £300,000 yesterday, after they were uncovered by an internal audit of local party accounts.

David Triesman, the party's general secretary, wrote to the Electoral Commission, the watchdog that monitors political donations, to give details of the cases. He called for local treasurers to be given more help and for the regulations governing donations to be simplified to prevent unintended breaches of the law.

Mr Triesman's letter warned: "We are dependent on the voluntary activity of ordinary party members who are increasingly unwilling, especially in a climate of legal penalty, to undertake work of this level of detail."

Officials insisted the problems had arisen through mistakes. The breaches emerged after Mr Triesman ordered an internal audit to ensure local parties were complying with new laws requiring all donations over £1,000 to be declared.Mr Triesman told The Times: "We are not seeking to duck responsibility or make any excuses. These laws are there for the right reasons, but there is no suggestion of sleaze or even that anyone broke them willingly."