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| Eighty Tories reported over gifts | Eighty Tories reported over gifts |
| (21 minutes later) | |
| Eighty Tory MPs have been referred to the Electoral Commission by Labour for potentially failing to declare donations in the right way. | Eighty Tory MPs have been referred to the Electoral Commission by Labour for potentially failing to declare donations in the right way. |
| Two Labour MPs John Mann and Kevan Jones have written to the watchdog with a list of donations they want probed. | |
| They believe the Tories may have failed to declare correctly cash given to them by "patrons clubs" and other so-called "unincorporated associations". | They believe the Tories may have failed to declare correctly cash given to them by "patrons clubs" and other so-called "unincorporated associations". |
| Labour's Peter Hain is being probed over £103,000 in undeclared donations. | Labour's Peter Hain is being probed over £103,000 in undeclared donations. |
| The work and pensions secretary declared the donations to his failed bid for Labour's deputy leadership more than six months late, blaming overwork. | |
| 'Impermissible' donors? | |
| But he has faced repeated questions about the financing of his campaign - and in particular the role of an unknown think tank, the Progressive Policies Forum, through which many of the donations were channelled. | |
| He is facing investigations by the Parliamentary authorities and the Electoral Commission, which could refer the matter to the police. | |
| Now two Labour backbenchers, John Mann and Kevan Jones, have hit back with a list of 67 backbench Conservatives and 13 frontbenchers who they say may have broken the rules on donations made through clubs and other organisations. | |
| Unincorporated associations are often used as a vehicle for a group of people to donate money to a party or MP without their names being made public. | |
| The Labour MPs argue this makes it impossible to check if any of the donors are "impermissible", namely whether or not they were on the electoral register when they made their donation. | |
| They also say it makes it impossible to know if any of the donors have given more than £1,000. | |
| If they have done so, their donation must be registered with the Electoral Commission. |