Labour Party Proxy and Undeclared Donations (2007) - Resignation of Peter Watt

Resignation of Peter Watt

The General Secretary of the Labour Party, Peter Watt, resigned on 26 November, after saying he took full responsibility. In his monthly press conference on 27 November, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said donations to the Labour Party by Abrahams through intermediaries were "completely unacceptable" and would be repaid. The Electoral Commission is seeking to investigate under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 why they were given wrong names and what checks Labour made into its “donors”, and has since called in the Crown Prosecution Service for briefings and advice.

In December 2007, the Metropolitan Police wrote to the Labour Party saying that "the donated money was no longer an issue for the police". Mr Abrahams and his middlemen were also cleared of any wrongdoing. It was also discovered that the £630,000 donated had not been returned to Mr Abrahams, although Harriet Harman had returned the £5,000 donated to her.

Read more about this topic:  Labour Party Proxy And Undeclared Donations (2007)

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