Second candidate rejects Tony Blair campaign donation

A second candidate in a Labour target seat has come out to publicly reject a donation to their campaign from Tony Blair. Last week’s announcement that Blair would give £1,000 to each of Labour 106 target seats was followed by Dundee East PPC Lesley Brennan declaring that she would not be accepting his money.

Now, a second candidate has followed suit. According to local paper Northants Herald & Post, Northampton North candidate Sally Keeble has confirmed she has also declined the money. The constituency is 39th on Labour’s target seat list.

Keeble told the paper:

“The £1,000 donations are being offered to key seats – of which we were one.

“I have emailed them back to say we won’t be accepting.”

However, it seems she may not have a choice. In the aftermath of Brennan’s decision at the weekend, the Dundee Courier reported that the money would not be going directly to the seats in question, but through the national party – meaning that there would be no specific donation from Blair to reject.

A source told the paper:

“She thinks Tony Blair’s office is going to write the Dundee Labour Party a cheque but it all comes through national spend.”

Kevin McKeever, the candidate for Northampton South (which is not a target seat) has already tweeted that he would be happy to accept a donation, while the move has received praise from Siobhain McDonagh MP and Steve Race, PPC in non-target East Devon.