Lord Levy Arrested

[LazyLob]

Our über leader's legacy unfolds!

[weatherman]

Excellent. Maybe soon he'll stop wiping his arse on the 1689 Bill of Rights.

[a_very_ex_STAB]

LOL how the mighty are fallen :)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Labour fundraiser Levy arrested

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41872000/jpg/_41872524_levy203ap.jpg
Lord Levy is a close friend of Tony Blair

Tony Blair's chief fundraiser Lord Levy has been arrested.

His arrest is in connection with the "cash-for-honours" inquiry by the Metropolitan Police.
Lord Levy, 61, made his money in the music industry in the 1960s and 1970s, managing singers including Alvin Stardust and Chris Rea.
He has been a high profile fundraiser for Labour since Tony Blair's election. Lord Levy is understood to be being held at a North London police station.

Wide-ranging investigation

Asked if he had any reaction to the news that Lord Levy had been arrested, the prime minister's official spokesman said: "I cannot comment on that, it is a party matter."
He confirmed the peer was still the prime minister's Middle East envoy.


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif We are seeing a process that is deeply damaging for Tony Blair - this is someone who is close to him http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Nick Robinson
BBC Political Editor



A Scotland Yard spokesman would not confirm whether Lord Levy had been arrested, but did say a man had been arrested by the Specialist Crime Directorate of the Metropolitan Police in connection with inquiries into possible breaches of honours and election laws.
The spokesman said the man had been asked to attend a London police station on Wednesday morning and questioned about possible infringements of the Honours (Prevention of Abuses ) Act 1925 and the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act.
Scotland Yard is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into loans and donations made to all three parties to see if there is any evidence that honours have been given as rewards for financial help.
It was prompted by the revelation earlier this year that a number of multi-million pound loans were secretly given to Labour before the last election, and that some of the lenders had subsequently been nominated by Tony Blair for peerages.
All involved have denied any wrong-doing.

'Fate intertwined'

BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson said the arrest was "deeply damaging for Tony Blair" because Lord Levy is a particular friend of the prime minister.
He said the fate of Lord Levy and Mr Blair was "intertwined". "It doesn't get much more serious than this," he said.
Angus MacNeil, the Scottish Nationalist Party MP who initiated the police inquiry, called for a freeze on all future honours until the investigation is completed. "This is a significant development and one that would appear to justify my decision to report this matter to the police," he said.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5173860.stm)

[fargo]

About time too. Hope he takes em all down ;)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Labour fundraiser Levy is bailed


http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41879000/jpg/_41879598_levy203*****body.jpg
Lord Levy is a close friend of Tony Blair

Tony Blair's chief fundraiser Lord Levy has been arrested and bailed in connection with the "cash-for-honours" inquiry by the Metropolitan Police.

Lord Levy, 61, denies any wrongdoing and accused the police of using their arrest powers "totally unnecessarily".
His spokesman said: "He has not been charged and does not expect to be, as he has committed no offence."
Lord Levy was one of the key figures in the securing of multi-million pound loans to the party last year.

'Vigorous' denial

His spokesman said the peer "vigorously denies any wrongdoing". He has been bailed pending further inquiries.
"Lord Levy has made it clear that he is ready at all times to cooperate with the police investigation," the spokesman said.
"He therefore complied with a request to attend today at a police station where the police used their arrest powers, totally unnecessarily, apparently in order to gain access to documents that Lord Levy would quite willingly have provided without this device."

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif I want this issue cleared up once and for all in British politics http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
David Davis
Shadow home secretary

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Q&A: Cash for peerages affair (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4812822.stm)
Profile: Lord Levy (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5173880.stm)


The prime minister's official spokesman said he could not comment on Lord Levy's arrest because "it is a party matter".
He confirmed the peer was still the prime minister's Middle East envoy.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said a man had been arrested by the Specialist Crime Directorate of the Metropolitan Police in connection with inquiries into possible breaches of honours and election laws.
The spokesman said the man had been asked to attend a London police station on Wednesday morning and questioned about possible infringements of the Honours (Prevention of Abuses ) Act 1925 and the Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act.

'Fate intertwined'

Scotland Yard is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into loans and donations made to all three parties to see if there is any evidence that honours have been given as rewards for financial help.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif It is ludicrous for the prime minister to refuse to comment on the basis that this is a party matter http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
Norman Baker
Lib Dem MP

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Analysis: How bad for Blair? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5174082.stm)


It was prompted by the revelation earlier this year that a number of multi-million pound loans were secretly given to Labour before the last election, and that some of the lenders had subsequently been nominated by Tony Blair for peerages.
Lord Levy's arrest comes two days after allegations that he told a businessman he did not have to tell a Lords vetting committee about his loan to the party.
BBC Political Editor Nick Robinson says Lord Levy and Tony Blair are close friends, adding that the fate of peer and Mr Blair is "intertwined".
"This could not be more serious for Tony Blair personally," he said.

'Freeze honours' call

A spokesman for Labour said the party "has and will continue to cooperate fully with this police investigation and, because of the ongoing nature of the investigation, we will not be commenting further".
Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond claimed the water was now "lapping around the prime minister's feet"

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gifhttp://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41677000/gif/_41677142_nick_fact_6666.gif
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif Just how big a political bombshell is Lord Levy's arrest? http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif
BBC political editor Nick Robinson

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/inline_dashed_line.gif

Read Nick's analysis in full (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nickrobinson/)


Angus MacNeil, the Scottish National Party MP who initiated the police inquiry, called for a freeze on all future honours until the investigation is completed.
"This is a significant development and one that would appear to justify my decision to report this matter to the police," he said.
For the Conservatives the shadow home secretary David Davis said Lord Levy's arrest demonstrates "that the police are taking the cash for peerages question very seriously".
He added: "I want this issue cleared up once and for all in British politics."
Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: "It is ludicrous for the prime minister to refuse to comment on the basis that this is a party matter. Is Tony Blair not leader of the Labour Party?" Lord Levy made his money in the 1960s and 1970s, managing singers including Alvin Stardust and Chris Rea.

BBC News Online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5173860.stm)


Personal comment (DW58): Could this be the beginning of the end of Neu Arbeit? I for one certainly hope so.

[Royal]

Personal comment (DW58): Could this be the beginning of the end of Neu Arbeit? I for one certainly hope so.


If only.

Fingers crossed anyway...

[LazyLob]

Personal comment (DW58): Could this be the beginning of the end of Neu Arbeit? I for one certainly hope so.
[/SIZE]

X2 but what comes next? As Bacilluspolymyxa (I think) said very eloquently they are all "synthetic".

[Bacilluspolymyxa]

X2 but what comes next? As Bacilluspolymyxa (I think) said very eloquently they are all "synthetic".a_very_ex_STAB takes the credit for that one in order to get elected in the UK you have to be bland, synthetic and content-free:)

[LazyLob]

That's it. Thank you and very nicely put Stab. Please accept my apologies.

[Bacilluspolymyxa]

I think the Dear Leader will come out of this one unscathed, if you cast your minds back to the 90's and the Cash for Questions hooha you will remember it was all smoke and no fire in the end.

[a_very_ex_STAB]

I think the Dear Leader will come out of this one unscathed, if you cast your minds back to the 90's and the Cash for Questions hooha you will remember it was all smoke and no fire in the end.
Yes I think Phony Tony will slither away from it too. Levy will be set up as the fall guy. The Tories and Liberals won't make many waves because they're up to their necks in dodgy funding deals too.

It was delicious seeing Levy and Neu Arbeit complaining about how he was arrested... I mean how dare the police arrest someone so important!

But hold on a minute wasn't it Neu Arbeit who recently made every offence arrestable :-)
Oh the irony.

[Greek soldier]

Why everyone is using too much Deutsch here? über, Neu Arbeit... Ist Bliar so bad? p-)

[DeltaWhisky58]

Why everyone is using too much Deutsch here? über, Neu Arbeit... Ist Bliar so bad? p-)

Worse! :-*$

[a_very_ex_STAB]

Why everyone is using too much Deutsch here? über, Neu Arbeit... Ist Bliar so bad? p-)
OK we'll change to North Korean and refer to the slimy POS as 'The Dear Leader' instead :)

[Greek soldier]

OK we'll change to North Korean and refer to the slimy POS as 'The Dear Leader' instead :)

rofl

When in Gordon Brown going to succeed Tony Blair?

[a_very_ex_STAB]

rofl

When in Gordon Brown going to succeed Tony Blair?

Hopefully never. He's a slack jawed mong who has done irreparable damage to the retirement plans of millions of people in the UK (including me).

[ex1cdo]

Labour fundraiser Levy is bailed

I wonder who posted bail? The Labour Party? :)

[Vraltupp]

Born in Hackney (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney), East London (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_London), to Jewish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish) immigrant parents of modest means, Levy was educated at Hackney Downs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackney_Downs) Grammar School, making his fortune during the 1960s and 1970s as an impresario (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impresario), managing singers such as Alvin Stardust (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Stardust) and Chris Rea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Rea). He founded Magnet Records (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_Records), which gave the public the popular 1970s/80s ska (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska) band Bad Manners (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Manners)

Michael Abraham Levy, Baron Levy (born 11 July (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_11) 1944 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944)) is a Labour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Party_%28UK%29) member of the British (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom) House of Lords (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Lords) and a major fundraiser for the UK Labour (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labour_Party_%28UK%29) party and several Jewish (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jew) and Israeli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel) charities. A long time friend of the Prime Minister, Tony Blair (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Blair), Lord Levy has acted as the Prime Minister's special envoy to the Middle East (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East) since 2002. Levy has praised Blair for his "solid and committed support of the State of Israel" [1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord_Levy#_note-0). He was arrested in connection to the "cash for peerages (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_for_peerages)" inquiry by the Metropolitan Police (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Police) on 12 July (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_12) 2006 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006).

Another rat caught with its fingers in the cake bowl.