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Boris under fire over campaign donations
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor20 Feb 2008
Tory mayoral candidate Boris Johnson came under fire from election watchdogs today after he failed to properly register a £25,000 donation from a tax exile.
Lord Laidlaw, who is based in Monte Carlo, gave the cash last summer but the Electoral Commission was only informed about it in October.
A further £20,000 paid to Mr Johnson by Buster Burke Ltd to fund his parliamentary researcher was also reported late.
The Electoral Commission today wrote to the MP to make clear his behaviour was "unacceptable" and that he should comply with the law.
Lord Laidlaw has decided to absent himself from the Lords because of his unresolved tax status, although the Tories insist he is registered to vote in the UK and can legally make donations.
Labour MPs today claimed the Tories were taking cash from a man who was not eligible to sit in Parliament.
Today's figures from the Commission confirm that Mr Johnson attracted £268,000 in donations from October to December last year.
Lord Laidlaw also emerged as David Cameron's biggest backer nationally, converting a previous £3 million loan into a donation to the party. The figures showed the Tories collected more than £9 million in donations - nearly double that of Labour - as the parties scrambled for a snap general election last autumn. The Commission's statistics showed that Labour raised only £ 5.4million between October and December last year, well behind the £9.7 million given to the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats collected £940,000.
The Tories also managed to pay off big loans to cut their debts to just over £12 million, compared with Labour's debts of nearly £20 million.
Labour's financial woes were so acute that Gordon Brown personally donated £89,000 and the party took out a new loan of £2 million.
Today's figures also show that Labour had failed to register £56,000 in donations and £1 million in repaid loans on time. The Tories submitted £43,000 in late donations.
Mr Brown's £89,000 donation was made in December only days after the "donorgate" row erupted over £600,000 funnelled secretly to Labour through go-betweens of businessman David Abrahams.
Electoral Commission chief executive Peter Wardle said it was "unacceptable" the parties failed to comply with the law and said his watchdog needed tougher powers.
