One picture...
- 29 Nov 07, 06:01 PM
...speaks 1000 words
A picture of happier times for Peter Watt - Labour's now ex-general secretary - and David Abrahams - the man who secretly bankrolled the party. (06 Dec: Unfortunately I can no longer show you the picture for copyright reasons). The party's top official was invited to be the guest of the party's secret donor at a dinner to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Jewish Museum earlier this year.
Abrahams had, we now believe, given more than 拢650,000 to Labour via intermediaries, so no wonder Watt looked so happy. Trawling through the party's accounts we know that he had not given the party a major donation (ie more than 拢5,000) since 2002 when it became mandatory to declare all such donations.
Meantime, I understand that Matt Carter, Labour's general secretary at the time these payments began, has told senior officials that he knew nothing about them and, if he had, would not have approved them. Lord Triesman, who preceded Carter as general secretary has said publicly that he knew nothing about them. If they didn't know who did? Somebody clearly told Peter Watt that this practice had been going on for some time.
