Abrahams contributes in the order of £600k to labour funds and claims anonymity..yet he is prominent in labour activities.

His nominees, each have contributed approximately £200k each..a significant sum but we are told are unknown to labour and apparently have not been rewarded for their largesse in any way

This might suggest that the Abraham secret was in fact no secret at all

c hoey, liphook, hants

It is clear: Brown and Benn should have declared the returned donations in the electoral commissions register. If you look they are not there.

MPs are required to declare gifts from unidentifiable (Brown's reason for returning the 5000 from Mrs Kidd) or impermissable donors (Benn's reason for returning the 5000 from Mrs Kidd).

Therefore Msrs Brown and Benn need to clarify this ommission from the register urgently. After all, Alan Johnson declared the 1000 he sent back to another donor. As Mr Brown says it is inexcusable, he would have only one course of action, unless the register is wrong.

Damien, Monchengladbach, Germany

Harman's team accepted Mrs Kidd's donation because she was "a donor to the Labour Party of long standing".

Brown's team rejected Mrs Kidd's donation because "she was not known to them".

Someone is fibbing.

David B, Southampton, UK

and the investigation will be carried out by sir Tony Blair....ops Ian Blair.....
I don't know what is worse....

riccardo, brussels,

don't worry, history has already proved that English laws do not apply to Labours.....there must be a clause somewhere...

riccardo, brussels,

Oh! Pleeeeze!!

More competition for the Brothers Grimm.

The "know" as used by politicians and others in the context of "I did not know . . . . . . . . . " is quite different from the generally accepted meaning of "know".

For politicians it means that - whilst I was suspicious and had reason to believe - I did not want to know and therefore either I did not ask or I instructed my staff not to tell me.

This means that these morally bankrupt power-seekers can say "I did not know".

The police will waste yet more hundreds of thousands of pounds and the CPS will then decide not to prosecute.

Here's an alternative - a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister and a quick General Election.

R Bingham, Lauzun, France

Browns team eventually tore up the cheque from Kidd because she was not known to them...

Is that the way Gordon Brown treats donors not known to him - he tears up their cheque?

Is this a new Labour Party policy - no donations unless the donor is known personally by Mr Brown?

Did he not write to Mrs Kidd, thanking her for her donation, but explaining that it would not be accepted because...

Will there not be a paper trail?

Does Mrs Kidd recollect being told that her donation was not acceptable because she was not known to Brown, and if she does, would she have explained that it really wasn't her money but Abrahams?

Did Brown not invite her to donate the money to the Labour Party instead?

He just tore it up?

Should we believe his manners are really that bad?

Eddie, Cheshunt, Herts

Mr Abraham's Tax Return might make interesting reading

Cliff Collis, London, UK

The silence from Milliband throughout all of this is deafening!!
The tories need to associate Milliband to these allegations as I dare say he and his team are quietly preparing for a near future takeover when Brown becomes just too much of a liability for the socialists!!

Anthony Hegarty, Seoul , Korea

At this early stage, it would be prudent for Mr Brown to suspend both Ms Harman and Mr Hain from all further duties, otherwise the press speculation will continue unabated and the trail will eventually lead to himself and his full resignation. Better to apply a pen knife now than a Stanely knife later. That said, Mr Brown is indeed a control freak, as claimed by Mr Cameron yesterday, and control freaks have the (mistaken) hubris to think they can wriggle out of the labyrinth. If so, Mr Brown's days at No 10 may well be numbered. More generally, I believe it is now time for stricter rules to govern political life across Europe, otherwise Europe, not just the UK, will sink in the mud-slide of sleaze and creative accounting which is currently spreading across the continent. The gaping hole in the EU's 2006 accounts is but the flip-side of bureaucratic sleaze. The invisible hand of the anonymous donor becomes the invisible recipient of the anonymous donation: money from nowhere to nobody.

Dr David Green, Athens, Greece

Oh, for a present day Gilbert and Sullivan!

Ally, Motherwell, Lanarkshire

If ( big IF ) Gordon Bean knew nothing about these criminal actions going on all around him, then he is incompetent and not fit to be prime minister. If he did know the extent of the sleazy operations of his minions, then he is equally to blame and should be questionned by the police.
Either way, the stench of corruption in Labour is just too strong to leave them in control of ths country. They must go - and very soon.

Rick, London, England

Another fine mess and whilst this fiasco brews, the Government continues to fail in its duty to govern and lead the United Kingdom. There are so many fundamental issues that are festering away - the economy, crime, immigration, education. Gordon Brown and his cabinet need to get a grip fast!

Michael Lewis, St Albans, Herts

So much for not knowing him. I am sorry but we are being systematically lied too by this Govt over the last month. They should be sacked.

Laurance Allen, Bodrum, Turkey

Labour tried to convince the public that they are cleaner than the Conservatives. This just shows that they merely had their cupboard locked more securely than the Conservative's did.
Once it came unlocked, those skeletons have come tumbling out.I'm afraid that this is the reality of politics. Labour must now think very carefully.
It was slease and the public perception of corruption that brought about the down fall of the Tories. HowLabour deal with this will be crucial to their future. The public does not like being made to appear gullible or stupid.

Chas Moore, Lower Stondon, United Kingdom

Once again the politicians who currently form Britain's Government are tainted by allegations of corruption. One hopes that the tainted Metropolitan Police Commissioner, who of course owes these politicians a favour for allowing him to remain in his post, is not allowed any input into the investigation.

Neil, Gloucestershire, England

Is this not a case where the doctrine Ignorantia juris non excusact applies?
Let us have some honesty and some facing up to the facts

j pickles, oban, scotland

This is another ridiculous political British "corruption" story. In this world, it doesnt get to first base in terms of corruption.
The only thing of any interest is not if Abrahams gave money through tame directors but if these donations led to any special favours.

j gallagher, montreux, switzerland

Why is the rejected 5k not mentioned on either Brown's or Benn's electoral commission return?

They are required to register donations from impermissible or unidentifiable donors, which are the reasons given for rejection in these cases.

i.e. You can not just tear up cheques and pretend it never happened.

Damien, Monchengladbach, Germany

For Chris Leslie to claim that a totally unknown David Abrahams rang him up to offer someone else as a donor beggars belief. Is he really trying to say that he was such a lowly minion that he had no secretary/gatekeeper to handle unknown callers? Does he actually expect us to believe that just anyone can call his office and talk directly to him?

Bob Evans, Anaheim, California