Wednesday 11 April 2007

Who is Labour’s mysterious fourth candidate?

According to the Electoral Commission, which among other jobs monitors campaign contributions to party leadership elections, three Members of Parliament have informed them of donations. However, Gordon Brown is not one of them.

Mr. Brown’s camp has no website and, officially at least, has received no money. Others have suggested that a campaign is being run, but that the infrastructure is buried in other organisations.

Meanwhile, the more exciting question (as the idea of the Chancellor being secretive or circumscribing the rules is hardly newsworthy) is who has declared receipt of funds to the Electoral Commission when they have not even declared they are in the race. Michael Meacher and John McDonnell we know of, but who else has been building up a war-chest? We can only speculate.
But as a source at the Electoral Commission noted, “It would be a pity if someone’s campaign was announced through a declaration of funds to the Electoral Commission.” A pity for them, perhaps, but for the rest of us it would be comical!



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