Lord Sleaze of Belize.....who can that be?

The Ashcroft affair appears to "have legs" as they say in Westminster. Today Labour MP Dennis McShane  referred to Ashcroft as "Lord Sleaze of Belize", a name that might just stick.

The Electoral Commission investigation into donations to the Conservatives from his Bearwood companies has said the donations were legal. Even so, the Commission is not absolutely happy with aspects of the investigation. The Commission....

....expressed strong frustrations at its inability to compel either the Tories or Ashcroft to give evidence in person and the fact that it could not order Bearwood to release any private documents. It reveals that Tory officials refused invitations to attend any meetings on a voluntary basis....

see more at the Guardian

As for Ashcroft's non dom status, his promises, whether he kept them to the letter and the spirit, whether he kept his friend and patron William Hague informed of the truth, who in the Tory hierarchy new what and when...... it all begins to have a life of its own.

Now the Public Administration Committee has announced an investigation into the affair, so more questions to come, and it will all drag on....

Is one man worth the hastle? Even if he has given £5million, can the Tory Party take the constant drip of revalations about his honesty, their honesty, their stupididty in believing him and defending him?

The way it stands, if the Tories win a significant proportion of the targeted marginal seats that Ashcroft's money and tactics have been working on, there will be questions about the integrity of the election process in these constituencies.

Ashcroft seems to be a singular type of guy, the type you don't cross. But his influence on the  upcoming election has already been malign. Why do the Tories still cling to him and protect him?

He should be asked to resign as Tory Vice Chair immediately, and from the House of Lords, before he does more damage to the Tory Party and, more importantly, to the electoral process in the UK.