Secret £2m loan to Labour Party from Lord Sainsbury

Secret £2m loan to Labour Party from Lord Sainsbury

Tony Blair came under pressure from within his own party yesterday to investigate claims that the science minister, Lord Sainsbury, broke the ministerial code by giving Labour a secret £2m loan.

The Observer reports: "Sainsbury has admitted misleading the public by saying recently that he had declared the loan to his permanent secretary, Sir Brian Bender. He said he had discovered late last week his office had been 'confused' between the loan and a donation he had also recently made, meaning he had not actually declared the former. His apology came nine days after The Observer submitted a freedom of information request asking for details of exactly what he told Bender."

Blair urged to investigate Sainsbury's secret £2m loan (The Observer, 2 April 2006)