Police question Blair over cash-for-honours probe
LONDON — Police have questioned Prime Minister Tony Blair for a second time about allegations that political honours — including seats in Britain’s House of Lords — were traded for cash, his official spokesman said yesterday.The revelation prompted opposition calls for Blair to step down sooner than planned.
Blair was interviewed January 26 as a witness, Blair’s office said. Police confirmed they requested details be kept secret for “operational reasons,” but did not elaborate.
The prime minister was “interviewed briefly to clarify points emerging from the ongoing investigation,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement. “He was interviewed as a witness, not as a suspect, and cooperated fully.”
Police are investigating allegations that honours, including seats in the House of Lords and knighthoods, were given to individuals who loaned money to Blair’s Labour Party or the main opposition Conservatives.
The British leader, who was not accompanied by a lawyer, was questioned for less than an hour at his office before he left London to travel to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. A note-taker was present.
“At the request of the police, this was kept utterly confidential,” the prime minister’s spokesman told reporters at a daily briefing. He speaks to the media only on condition of anonymity.
Blair was told in advance that police wished to impose a news blackout on the interview but was not informed of the reasons why, his spokesman said.
“One assumes the police are fully aware of the implications of what they were asking,” he said.
David Cameron, head of the main opposition Conservative party, said Blair was a “short-term Prime Minister” whose authority was draining away and urged that he step down sooner “for the good of the country.” Blair has said he will leave office by September.
Former foreign minister Jack Straw said the issue was not affecting Blair’s work and rejected claims the public had been misled. “There has been complete propriety displayed here,” he told reporters.
Blair’s chief fund-raiser, Lord Levy, was arrested for a second time Tuesday by police investigating the claims and later released on bail. Three others arrested are Ruth Turner, Blair’s director of government relations; Sir Christopher Evans, a biotechnology entrepreneur, and Des Smith, a government adviser.
Blair told Salmond at his weekly questions session that “for perfectly obvious reasons ... there is nothing I can say on this subject.”
Police first interviewed Blair on December 14 for 90 minutes. He was the first serving British prime minister to be interviewed in a criminal inquiry.
He has acknowledged some supporters who offered loans were later nominated for honours, but has insisted that he did nothing wrong. Those candidates had been legitimate selections, allowed under rules to reward supporters for their service to a political party — rather than the general public, Blair’s spokesman said.
“It is clear that this inquiry is going to haunt Tony Blair throughout his last months in office and beyond,” said Edward Davey, a lawmaker and chief of staff for Liberal Democrat leader Menzies Campbell.
