18th March, 2010, 8:12 am BBC: Hague knew about Ashcroft tax status in 2000 – 8 in the morning, March 18th Alex Smith Share this article: By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982 * BBC alleges William Hague knew about Lord Ashcroft’s tax status in 2000, much earlier than previously claimed. * After another day of Tory attacks on Charlie Whelan, the Guardian plays down his “informal” role, saying “it is away from No 10 where his presence is felt most.” * Evoking the pager system introduced by New Labour in the mid-nineties, Conservative candidates will be kepy on message with new iPhone and BlackBerry applications. * Tensions between speaker John Bercow and Conservative MPs escalate. * The Fabians’ Stuart White questions Labour activists’ confidence in the government’s policy on retention of DNA samples. * George Osborne risks repeating John Smith’s mistakes of 1992 in next week’s budget, argues the Times’ Anatole Kaletsky. * Nadine Dorries is involved in a plot to damage Esther Rantzen’s election campaign in Luton South, reports the Telegraph. * The Conservatives drop a point in the latest YouGov poll, bringing the gap with Labour to four percent. Alex Smith Alex is the founder and CEO of The Cares Family. He was editor and first director of LabourList in 2009-2010, during which time he established the site as the number one Labour blog, and later an aide to Ed Miliband. @alexsmith1982 View all articles by Alex Smith Subscribe to our daily email More from LabourList Comment SPONSORED: ‘Industrial hemp and the challenge of turning Labour’s priorities into practice’ SPONSORED When Labour came to power in July 2024, we were clear about our priorities: economic growth, good… Bayo Alaba MP 23rd February, 2026, 6:00 am Comment ‘A day is a long time in politics, so we need ‘action this day’’ Time speeds up when you’re an MP and you’ve turned 51. The rolling phase of Wilsonian ‘long political… John Slinger MP 23rd February, 2026, 6:00 am News Strong support for child social media ban among Labour members, poll reveals Almost three quarters of Labour members support would support the government in a decision to ban social media… James Tibbitts 23rd February, 2026, 6:00 am
Alex Smith Alex is the founder and CEO of The Cares Family. He was editor and first director of LabourList in 2009-2010, during which time he established the site as the number one Labour blog, and later an aide to Ed Miliband. @alexsmith1982 View all articles by Alex Smith
Comment SPONSORED: ‘Industrial hemp and the challenge of turning Labour’s priorities into practice’ SPONSORED When Labour came to power in July 2024, we were clear about our priorities: economic growth, good… Bayo Alaba MP 23rd February, 2026, 6:00 am
Comment ‘A day is a long time in politics, so we need ‘action this day’’ Time speeds up when you’re an MP and you’ve turned 51. The rolling phase of Wilsonian ‘long political… John Slinger MP 23rd February, 2026, 6:00 am
News Strong support for child social media ban among Labour members, poll reveals Almost three quarters of Labour members support would support the government in a decision to ban social media… James Tibbitts 23rd February, 2026, 6:00 am
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