PM reveals Tory donors dinners list (From Bournemouth Echo)

PM reveals Tory donors dinners list

2:28pm Monday 26th March 2012 in National © Press Association 2013

The Conservative Party has published a list of major party donors who have attended dinners with David Cameron at 10 Downing Street.

And the Prime Minister pledged to publish a quarterly register of any future meals at official residences with people who have given more than £50,000 to the Tories.

The announcement came as Mr Cameron was put under huge pressure over claims by former Tory co-treasurer Peter Cruddas that individuals could secure meetings with ministers and influence policy formation in return for a "premier league" donation.

Mr Cruddas quit on Saturday after the Sunday Times published secret recordings in which he urged undercover reporters to give more than £250,000 in return for direct face time with senior ministers.

Mr Cameron denounced his comments as "completely unacceptable" and announced an internal party inquiry to ensure there would be no repeat.

And senior Tory Francis Maude appeared to hope that this had drawn a line under the affair, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was "a bit of a nonsense".

But it was later announced that Mr Maude would give an oral statement to the House of Commons to update MPs on reform of political party funding.

And Mr Cameron broke into a scheduled speech on dementia care in London to address the Cruddas affair head-on.

He confirmed that he had held a post-election "thankyou" dinner for supporters, including some major donors, in 10 Downing Street in July 2010, followed by three private dinners in the flat above Number 11 where he lives with wife Samantha.

He denied that any of those invited had been recommended by Mr Cruddas, describing most of them as people he had known for many years. Neither had Mr Cruddas - himself a big donor to the Tories - ever attended a Downing Street dinner.