Daily Mail 12th October 2008
Devastating secret documents suggest Tony Blair did not tell the truth over Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone’s £1million donation to Labour in 1997.
Government papers released yesterday under the Freedom of Information Act appear to show Downing Street deliberately tried to conceal the way that Mr Blair gave orders for Formula One to be exempt from a tobacco advertising ban just 24 hours after meeting Mr Ecclestone at No 10.
When the controversy erupted ten years ago, Mr Blair said his decision had nothing to do with the meeting with Mr Ecclestone and leaders of Formula One’s FIA governing body on October 16, 1997, and was taken ‘two or three weeks’ later.
Bernie Ecclestone with his wife Slavica: New documents suggest a 'cover-up' by No 10 over the £1m donation by the F1 boss
But the documents show that he wrote to Health Minister Tessa Jowell the next day to press for a permanent exemption for Formula One from the proposed EU ban on tobacco adverts.
And Mr Blair’s chief of staff Jonathan Powell was even quicker off the mark and phoned her straight after the Ecclestone meeting to tell her the Prime Minister had ruled she must give in to Mr Ecclestone’s demand.
The Tories last night called for a fresh investigation into Mr Blair’s conduct and said he should be hauled before the Commons to explain himself.
Conservative MP Patrick Mercer said: ‘It now appears Mr Blair was less than honest with the public about this matter. Therefore I believe he must be made to account for himself in front of Parliament.’
The papers suggest that Mr Blair tried to avoid telling the truth to Parliament when he told MPs his decision to exempt Formula One was made on October 29, nearly a fortnight after being asked to do so by Mr Ecclestone.
Exemptions: Tony Blair wrote to Tessa Jowell after meeting Ecclestone
Most revealing of all, a background note written by a civil servant, released for the first time yesterday, indicates that officials were worried that Mr Blair’s proposed written statement to the Commons was deliberately misleading – and could return to haunt them if his letter to Miss Jowell ever becomes public.
It says: ‘The draft reply is strictly true with the Prime Minister’s references to the decision having been taken two or three weeks after [the civil servant’s emphasis] the meeting with the FIA on 16 October.
'However, if the correspondence were in the public domain, critics might argue that the Prime Minister’s views had been clearly conveyed by the telephone call on 16 October and the letter on 17 October.’
It goes on to point out that, technically, Mr Blair could argue that ‘options continued to be discussed’ until October 29 – while making it clear that this is not the whole story.
The background note says ‘following the Prime Minister’s meeting with the FIA on 16 October Jonathan Powell rang (Miss Jowell) that afternoon. This was followed on 17 October by a letter following up the conversation and stating “the Prime Minister would like your Ministers to look for a way of finding a permanent derogation for sport, in particular F1”.’
The implication is that Mr Blair was warned he was not telling the truth about the affair – but ignored the warning.
Mr Blair’s spokesman last night denied the revelations cast doubt over the former PM’s honesty.
He said: ‘There’s nothing new here. All these issues were debated at the time.’
The row blew up shortly after Labour was elected in 1997 with a manifesto pledge to ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
Three weeks after the Ecclestone meeting, Miss Jowell, who previously argued strongly for the ban, went to Brussels to fight for a Formula One exemption.
Downing Street later admitted Labour had accepted £1million from Mr Ecclestone.
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