Labour to ban foreign cash

Foreign donations to British political parties will be outlawed under Labour's plans to clean up party funding, Tony Blair made clear yesterday.

Labour says foreign donors contributed pounds 15m to the Tory war chest before the last election. Asil Nadir, the fugitive head of the collapsed Polly Peck empire, has given to the party.

Mr Blair reaffirmed his commitment to press for funding to be reviewed by the Nolan Committee on public standards. "We believe there is a very strong case for making illegal the funding of political parties from abroad," he said on the BBC's Breakfast with Frost.