Lord Ashcroft to be called before MPs over peerage controversy

Published: 11:32AM GMT 04 Mar 2010

Lord Ashcroft Photo: PAUL GROVER

Labour"s Gordon Prentice pronounced the open administration department name cabinet had motionless to hold a ""special one-off inquiry"" on Mar 18.

Lord Ashcroft suggested this week that he did not compensate UK taxation on his endless abroad earnings, assumingly at contingency with Tory assurances when he was since a chair in the Lords.

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Mr Prentice"s proclamation came as it emerged that electoral regulators have privileged Lord Ashcroft following an review in to donations he done to the Conservatives around a small British company.

The Electoral Commission ruled that the donations were authorised following accusations that Bearwood Corporate Services had effectively been used as a "front" to have donations.

Mr Prentice, who waged a long-running debate to have the peer"s taxation standing done public, pronounced the Cabinet Office and an appointments watchdog would additionally be called prior to the committee.

He wrote on his blog: ""Just behind from the Public Administration Select Committee where we determine to do a special one-off exploration in to the Lord Ashcroft affair. It will be on Thursday eighteen March.

""The issues tumble precisely inside of the Committee"s bailiwick. We keep an eye on the Cabinet Office and the House of Lords Appointments Commission. We shall see what they have to say.

""Oh yes... the Committee will entice Lord Ashcroft to come prior to it.""

The proclamation comes after it was disclosed that William Hague, the shade unfamiliar secretary, was kept in the dim about Lord Ashcrofts non-domicile standing for scarcely 10 years after he indicated that the Conservatives arch funder would compensate tax.

Mr Hague certified that he schooled that his close crony was a "non-dom" usually a couple of months ago.

In 2000, arguing it was suitable for Lord Ashcroft to be postulated a peerage, he indicated that the Conservative clamp authority would proceed to compensate taxation by observant that his entering the Lords would move the Exchequer "tens of millions".