Secret loans: Blair warned but gave the go ahead

Brian Brady
Scotland on Sunday
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Tony Blair's intimate involvement in sanctioning the loans which have rocked his government is exposed today, after one of his closest confidantes confirmed that he "knew exactly what was going on" and was aware of the risks from the start.
A senior member of the Prime Minister's inner circle gave a remarkable insight into the angst and confusion within the party's fundraising operation as it prepared for the 2005 election. ________________
See Also:
Revealed: Blair's secret role in loans scandal
Tony Blair has squandered his own legacy on sleaze
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Blair last week accepted responsibility for the hugely controversial £14m in loans, which did not have to be declared in public. It emerged last week that at least three of the lenders had subsequently been nominated for peerages by the party.
This weekend, Blair and the Labour high command have also "gagged" Labour's treasurer to prevent him from exposing the identities of the party's multi-millionaire lenders, because they are protected by commercial "confidentiality clauses". The Prime Minister entered into the deal with the group of lenders to ensure that their contributions could not be exposed at a later date. Mar 19, 2006