LABOUR DONATIONS : KEY PLAYERS

ABRAHAMS' DONATIONS
See how David Abrahams made donations to the Labour Party
In graphics

The row over "hidden" donations to the Labour party continues to grow, with new names, claims and revelations emerging.
Here is a look at some of the key figures in the unfolding political drama.

THE DONORS

David Abrahams
Role: Donated more than £660,000 to Labour since 2003, but under other people's names. The property developer gave £5,000 to Harriet Harman's successful deputy leadership campaign. Donated £5,000 to Hilary Benn's campaign after his initial offer - via a third party - was rejected.
What he said: "Until the weekend I didn't know it was illegal for a person who hadn't personally donated to have to declare his hand to the Electoral Commission."
Donation: £660,000+ to the Labour Party.

Profile: David Abrahams

Ray Ruddick
Role: One of the associates of Mr Abrahams through whom some of the money was donated to Labour. The builder is recorded as giving nearly £200,000 to Labour over four years.
What he said (When asked how he felt when Mr Abrahams approached him with the money): "Surprised, surprised, surprised. More surprised to find that a lot more money had been handed over to the Labour party than what should have been."

DONATIONS TO LABOUR PARTY
18 August 2003
£25,000
23 December 2005
£17,850
24 May 2006
£50,000
29 June 2007
£24,000
10 July 2007
£80,000
Total
£196,850
Source: Electoral Commission

Janet Kidd
Role: Another colleague asked to hand Labour donations - totalling £185,000 - from Mr Abrahams, and the person who gave Harriet Harman £5,000 for her deputy leadership campaign on his behalf. The secretary was also asked to make a donation to Gordon Brown's leadership campaign, but that was rejected.
What her husband said: "This whole thing was a total surprise. We're both very upset. We're fairly quiet people and it's been a bit of a shock."

DONATIONS TO LABOUR PARTY
6 May 2003
£25,000
1 April 2004
£10,000
27 October 2004
£2,000
23 December 2005
£30,000
29 June 2007
£38,000
10 July 2007
£80,000
Total
£185,000
Source: Electoral Commission

John McCarthy
Role: Solicitor also gave Labour donations on Mr Abrahams' behalf. Donations listed with the Electoral Commission total more than £250,000 - some in his own name; some in the name of his Liverpool-based company.
What he said: Nothing so far.

DONATIONS TO LABOUR PARTY
12 January 2004
£15,000
5 February 2005
£25,000
1 June 2005
£25,000
22 December 2005
£52,125
21 April 2006
£50,000
28 June 2007
£35,000
10 July 2007
£55,000
Total
£257,125
Source: Electoral Commission

Janet Dunn
Role: The wife of one of Mr Abrahams' employees is the fourth person via whom Mr Abrahams made a donation to Labour. Initially said she knew nothing of the donation but later issued a statement.
What she said: "I've always been a Conservative Party supporter, and that's it. I just knew nothing about it."
She later added: "In response to questions put to me yesterday I may have given inaccurate information. That was not my intention...
"I do not propose to comment further in public, save to confirm, following a review of my records, a cheque drawn on my account in the sum of £25,000 was given to the Labour Party in January 2003."

DONATIONS TO LABOUR PARTY
31 January 2003
£25,000
Total
£25,000
Source: Electoral Commission

THE POLITICIANS

Gordon Brown
Role: His leadership campaign was approached by Janet Kidd with an offer of a donation, which was rejected because she was not known to officials. Admitted probably meeting Mr Abrahams in the past but could not recall discussing donations. Set up a team to investigate and advise on the circumstances of the "hidden" donations to Labour and pledged that all the monies would be paid back.
What he said: "I had no knowledge until Saturday night, either of the donations or of the practice which had grown up where they were improperly declared to the Electoral Commission... The money was not lawfully declared."

Hilary Benn
Role: Was offered £5,000 by Janet Kidd for his failed campaign to become Labour's deputy leader but turned the money down after being told by party colleague Baroness Jay that the money was in fact coming from Mr Abrahams.
What his spokesman said: "We did not accept it because we felt that if Mr Abrahams wanted to make a donation he should do so in his own name. We returned the cheque."

Harriet Harman
Role: Accepted a £5,000 donation from Janet Kidd for her successful campaign for the party deputy leadership, even though she did not know who Mrs Kidd was. She wrote her a letter of thanks, but after the revelations that the money actually came from Mr Abrahams, she said she would return the money, which she said she had taken in good faith.
What she said: "My campaign understood [Janet Kidd] to be a pre-existing donor to the Labour Party... I don't think there's any question of me having broken either the letter or the spirit of the law."
Profile: Harriet Harman

THE PARTY OFFICIALS

Peter Watt
Role: First casualty of the donations scandal, resigning as Labour general secretary after admitting he was aware of the arrangement whereby Mr Abrahams donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the party in the names of others.
What he said: "I believed at the time my reporting obligations had been appropriately complied with."
Profile: Peter Watt

Jon Mendelsohn
Role: Labour's chief fundraiser was told by Peter Watt about the "hidden" donations in October but did not inform anyone else. Planned to tackle Mr Abrahams about the arrangement because he was concerned about a lack of transparency. Wrote to him, requesting a meeting, at which he intended to tell him his method of donating was unacceptable.
What he said: ""I was informed by Peter Watt, to whom I reported, that this was an arrangement... which was long-standing and which was appropriately dealt with in relation to the party's reporting requirements.
"He told me these donations fully complied with the law, and I had no reason to doubt that information."

Chris Leslie
Role: Gordon Brown's Labour leadership campaign co-ordinator passed on Janet Kidd's details to Harriet Harman's campaign team. Mr Leslie has said he was initially contacted by Mr Abrahams in May, who referred him to Mrs Kidd as someone who wanted to make a donation. Mr Leslie says the Brown campaign was sent an "unprompted" cheque for £5,000 from Mrs Kidd. Mr Leslie says he tore the cheque up because no one in the campaign team knew who she was.
What he said: "Subsequently, when the leadership election was over, I was approached by members of Harriet Harman's campaign team asking if I knew of any individuals who might donate to her deputy leadership campaign.
"I passed them the details of Mrs Kidd as someone whose offer of a donation we had not taken up. "
Chris Leslie: Statement in full

BBC NEWS REPORT.