Secretly filmed footage of Peter Cruddas offering access to the prime minister and chancellor. Courtesy the Sunday Times
Conservative Party co-treasurer Peter Cruddas has resigned with immediate effect after a newspaper claimed he was prepared to arrange access to the prime minister and chancellor for �250,000.
The Sunday Times has footage of him making the offer to undercover reporters posing as potential donors.
London-based Mr Cruddas was appointed Tory co-treasurer in June 2011.
He said: "I deeply regret any impression of impropriety arising from my bluster in that conversation."
The Conservative Party had earlier said it would investigate but pointed out no donation had actually been accepted.
Labour has challenged the prime minister to "come clean" about what he knew about the matter, and when he knew of it.
In the footage, Mr Cruddas, who is also founder of online trading company Currency Management Consultants Ltd, is heard discussing what access different size donations would get.
"Two hundred grand to 250 is Premier League? what you would get is, when we talk about your donations the first thing we want to do is get you at the Cameron/Osborne dinners," he says.
"You do really pick up a lot of information and when you see the Prime Minister, you're seeing David Cameron, not the Prime Minister.
"But within that room everything is confidential - you can ask him practically any question you want.
"If you're unhappy about something, we will listen to you and put it into the policy committee at number 10 - we feed all feedback to the policy committee."
A statement from the Tories said: "No donation was ever accepted or even formally considered by the Conservative Party.
"All donations to the Conservative Party have to comply with requirements of electoral law, and these are strictly enforced by our compliance department."
Resignation statementFollowing his resignation in the early hours of Sunday morning, Mr Cruddas released a statement which said: "I only took up the post of principal Treasurer of the Party at the beginning of the month and was keen to meet anyone potentially interested in donating.
"As a result, and without consulting any politicians or senior officials in the party, I had an initial conversation with Zenith. No further action was taken by the party.
"Clearly there is no question of donors being able to influence policy or gain undue access to politicians.
"Specifically, it was categorically not the case that I could offer, or that David Cameron would consider, any access as a result of a donation. Similarly, I have never knowingly even met anyone from the Number 10 policy unit."
He went on to say that in order to make this position "clear beyond doubt" he had decided to resign.
Labour MP Michael Dugher said: "Time and again the Tory party has been the obstacle to capping donations from wealthy individuals. Now it appears obvious why.
"David Cameron should come clean. Will the PM say exactly what he knew and when about an apparent effort to sell access and influence in Downing Street?"
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-17503116
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