Fresh cash-for-access revelations embarrass PM
David Cameron failed to declare all his meetings with donors and used Downing Street for a meeting on the leadership of a Conservative fundraising organisation, according to reports.
The prime minister faces further pressure over the cash-for-access scandal after Sunday newspapers published more details of how the Tories raise their money.
Labour said a full independent inquiry had to be 'brought forward and set up immediately'.
It follows last week's news that Conservative co-treasurer Peter Cruddas had offered meetings with the prime minister – and even influence on policy – to potential party donors prepared to spend up to £250,000.
The Conservative party was quick to downplay Mr Cruddas' significance, despite the fact he had been appointed their lead fundraiser one month before, after he resigned from the job.
But today it emerged that Mr Cruddas had claimed to have had direct access to the prime minister on 13 occasions over the course of the Sunday Times' three-month investigation.
Mr Cameron also met with the party's co-chairman, Lord Feldman, in Downing Street to fire the leader of the Conservative Foundation, an organisation which encourages donors to leave cash to the Tories in their will.
"It may have been a massive piece of misjudgement from Lord Feldman," Lord Hesketh, who was told he was being replaced in the meeting, told the Sunday Telegraph.
"He was the person who told me to come to the meeting."
Sir Alistair Graham, former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, said the meeting appeared to be a breach of the ministerial code.
He also commented on another story in the newspaper which highlighted the link between Lord Feldman and Lord Gold, the Tory appointed by Mr Cameron to head the party's internal inquiry into the cash-for-access affair.
Lord Gold had acted as a solicitor for Lord Feldman's family firm during his work for law firm Herbert Smith, it was reported.
"I don't think anyone is even trying to call it an independent inquiry," Sir Alistair said.
"That would be an abuse of the English language. Clearly Lord Gold is somebody who is a very close friend of the Conservative party, however you look at it. He is bound to want to put the best gloss on events. I don’t believe his report is likely to have much credibility."
On Friday Labour's Ed Miliband published a list of the 43 meetings and dinners he has had with trade union bosses and individual donors since becoming party leader.
Among them were eight meetings with Unite's general secretary Len McCluskey and other meetings with Alan Sugar and Ken Livingstone.
Now shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett has called on the prime minister had to "come clean" about the full scale and nature of his meetings with donors.
"It has now been suggested that the list of meetings published by David Cameron last week was incomplete, with numerous other meetings with big Tory donors, including Peter Cruddas, not being disclosed," Mr Trickett commented.
"This drip, drip of revelations cannot be allowed to continue.
