I had been interested in this for months

I had been interested in this for months."As early as March, The Independent contacted Mr Bradley about the issue when it was shown one of the inquiry reports naming Mr Ashcroft. After that meeting, he continued his own inquiries and wrote to William Hague asking whether he considered it appropriate for a tax exile who serves at the United Nations as the ambassador for another country to be treasurer of the Conservative Party.Last Tuesday, on the eve of his speech, Times journalists met him in the Commons, at his request, to show him the documents. "I put my name down to speak more than two weeks ago and, when I was called by the Speaker, I decided to use the opportunity to cover my concerns about Michael Ashcroft. "I knew The Times had seen documents, which they had written about, and I asked if I could see them It was not the other way around To say that I was put up to it by The Times is nonsense. CONSERVATIVE CLAIMS of a conspiracy between the Labour Party, Rupert Murdoch and The Times over its coverage of Michael Ashcroft's business affairs were dismissed as "nonsense" yesterday.

As the newspaper and the Conservative Party treasurer prepare to do battle in court, Peter Bradley, the MP who disclosed details in the Commons of drugs investigations which named Mr Ashcroft, denied collusion. Tory claims that he was a pawn of The Times using his Parliamentary privilege - and its protection from legal action - to publicise US drugs investigations naming Mr Ashcroft, was a smokescreen, he said. Agents of foreign governments should be prevented from funding British political parties, they said.. While the new rules will be based on a recommendation by Lord Neill, Mr Linton said the Government should go further and ban donations by people not liable for UK taxes.Peter Bradley, the MP for The Wrekin who made the allegations in the Commons against Mr Ashcroft, said: "I would strongly suggest that Lord Neill never considered whether somebody who is a foreign country's UN ambassador and a tax exile living in Florida and working out of Belize could be a proper funder for a British political party."Other Labour figures suggested one simple amendment to the Government's political funding Bill, due in draft form next week but expected to be in the Queen's Speech this Autumn, would suffice.

It had been designed to boost the Tory vote in marginal seats and had in any case failed to work, he said.Martin Linton, Labour member for Battersea, gave evidence to the recent inquiry on political funding by Lord Neill's Committee on Standards in Public Life. They would not prevent Mr Ashcroft from giving money to the Tories because he is still eligible to vote in Britain even though he lives in Florida and is the United Nations representative for Belize, where many of his financial interests are. Even though it is 12 years since he moved his main business to Bermuda and his home to Florida, Mr Ashcroft is still allowed to vote here because of a "20- year rule" brought in by the Conservatives, enabling expatriates to continue voting in UK elections.Last night Chris Mullin MP, the Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said the time limit should be reduced to five years. Some Tories believe he should resign while he fights his legal action.Labour MPs warned that plans to stop foreign donations, due to be published next week, would not go far enough. The move will be seen as a veiled attack on Mr Ashcroft, who is suing The Times newspaper for libel.

Conservative activists said they planned to table a motion at the party's annual conference in October, calling for the Tory treasurer to be elected by the membership rather than appointed by the leader. Mr Ashcroft has strongly denied the allegations.There was also growing disquiet in Tory ranks last night. The plans were revealed as pressure mounted from Labour MPs to tighten up new rules designed to ban overseas gifts to political parties. On Wednesday the Conservative treasurer was named in the House of Commons as having appeared on American Drug Enforcement Administration files in connection with inquiries into drug trafficking and money laundering. MINISTERS ARE to consider changing the law to block Michael Ashcroft's pounds 1m per year donations to the Conservative Party, it emerged last night. Having made its democratic choice the whole party will unite behind that candidate to ensure their election as mayor of London on 4 May, 2000.".