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Fresh call over Mandelson interests
5 Nov 2008- Cameron urges voters to keep Union
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Lord Mandelson has faced fresh calls to detail his dealings with Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska after they were not included in his declaration of interests.
Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said the Business Secretary's first entry in the House of Lords register after rejoining the Government last month was "threadbare and totally inadequate".
It lists his regular paid employment as his ministerial salary and the "transitional allowance" paid to him by Brussels as a departing European Commissioner.
They are worth £104,386 a year and around £78,000 annually for the next three years respectively, although the sums are not given.
On the register, he also notes his honorary fellowship of St Catherine's College, Oxford, his chairmanship of the Policy Network think tank and his presidency of Hartlepool United Football Club - the town for which he used to be MP.
Lord Mandelson has been under growing pressure to provide full details of his contacts with aluminium magnate Mr Deripaska after admitting their relationship went back to 2004 - two years earlier than previously acknowledged.
The EU has ruled out releasing information from his diary, and insisted he will not face an inquiry over potential conflicts of interest.
But Mr Baker said more information should be made public.
"It is vital that we know who Lord Mandelson dealt with when he was European Trade Commissioner as he will be dealing with the same people in his role as Business Secretary," Mr Baker said.
"He has said that he will be telling his permanent secretary at BERR (Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) of any potential conflicts of interest. He should make that information publicly available."
Reader views (1)
Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker description of Mandleson's first entry in the House of Lords register, as "threadbare and totally inadequate", also describes perfectly, Mandleson himself..... "threadbare and totally inadequate"
- Peter Thurgood, London, UK, 05/11/2008 09:27
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