Labour peer faces funding probe
Labour peer Lord Haskins handed £2,500 to a Liberal Democrat candidate to fight the general election, it has been claimed.
Danny Alexander, now MP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, received the donation from the peer – a personal friend who he had met through his work for pressure group Britain in Europe.
Jim Gray, agent for the defeated Labour candidate David Stewart, said he was “horrified” at the news and demanded a probe into the donation.
Mr Gray said friendship was an insufficient a reason for funding the Lib Dems campaign.
Lord Haskins disagreed saying personal friendship trumped party loyalty.
The controversial donation was revealed by the Electoral Commission, which published this week the monies contributed in the latter days of the election campaign.
Should the story hold up, the peer and chairman of Northern Foods could face disciplinary action by Labour’s the NEC committee.
Lord Haskins donated £10,000 to Labour during the 2001 general election campaign.
He has since scaled back his contributions.
