Labour secret donations examined

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The controversy over secret donations to Labour is the lead for three of Sunday's papers.

In the Observer's words, Gordon Brown's hopes of moving on from the issue have been dashed after the businessman at the centre of the row warned that more senior party figures knew of the system of anonymous donations.

According to the Sunday Times, David Abrahams has said 10 party officials were aware that he was making payments through intermediaries.

The Independent on Sunday highlights Mr Abraham's claim that he had told Mr Brown's chief fundraiser, Jon Mendelsohn, of the arrangement as far back as April.

Mr Abraham tells the paper his response was: "That sounds like a good idea."

Mr Mendelsohn, who has said he only found out in September, has dismissed Mr Abraham's assertion as "completely untrue".

Continuing the theme of Labour funding, the Mail on Sunday says it has discovered that the party's second biggest donor is an Iranian-born French citizen who is not entitled to vote in general elections here.

Match fixing

The police inquiry into match-fixing allegations involving European national and club teams is the main story for the Sunday Telegraph and the Star on Sunday.

The Telegraph says Uefa has raised concerns about strange betting patterns on the games in question.

It adds there is no suggestion so far that any of the home nations or British clubs are accused of any match-fixing.

The Sunday Express turns its attention to the housing market, with a warning by what it calls leading financial commentators that home-owners face dramatic falls in house prices unless the Bank of England starts to cut interest rates early in the New Year.

Its headline warns that there are only "100 days to halt a housing crash".

'Slightly surprised'

An un-named Royal source is quoted in the Mail on Sunday as saying the Queen is "slightly surprised" that she has not been asked to name the newest Cunard flagship liner.

The paper says Her Majesty was the only choice to perform the ceremony when Cunard launched its previous vessels named after a queen.

This time, Cunard has asked the Duchess of Cornwall to preside at the inauguration of the Queen Victoria next week, the latest indication, the paper believes, that she is increasingly viewed as a Queen Consort-in-waiting.

The Sunday Times says American researchers have found that women can give their children a lifelong taste for "healthy but horrible" foods such as broccoli and brussels sprouts simply by eating them during pregnancy or while breast-feeding.

The researchers say babies are born with a dislike for bitter tastes.

If mothers want them to learn to like to eat vegetables, they have to provide them with opportunities to taste these foods.