PHILIP ANSCHUTZ, the billionaire owner of the Millennium Dome, has been in London this week to witness the political storm caused by his relationship with the Deputy Prime Minister.

The clamour surrounding John Prescott’s stay on Mr Anschutz’s ranch prompted the tycoon to cancel a planned meeting. Mr Prescott wanted to go ahead with the discussion to show that the Government’s commitment to the project had not weakened.

This would have been the pair’s eighth meeting, held to update the Deputy Prime Minister on the “post-sale use” and regeneration of the Dome. Mr Prescott has always denied that they discuss supercasinos, one of which Mr Anschutz is hoping to open in the Dome.

A spokesman for Mr Prescott said: “Mr Anschutz asked for a meeting to which the Deputy Prime Minister agreed. That was scheduled for this week just past but when Mr Anschutz saw all the media hysteria he decided to reschedule the meeting. So we will be seeing him at some point.”

Mr Anschutz was staying in the £1,880 Park Suite in the Four Seasons Hotel with views of Hyde Park, an entertainment centre, dining area for six and a library. The cost contrasts with the £30 per night donated to charity by the Civil Service in lieu of payment of Mr Prescott’s stay on the 32,000-acre ranch.

Mr Anschutz, who was in London with his wife, Nancy, is believed to have seen the Rev Nicky Gumbel, from the Alpha Christian course, and Ken Costa, vice-chairman of UBS. Yesterday he travelled to Berlin for the World Cup Final.

ITN tried to contact Mr Anschutz in his hotel room, but he appeared to live up to his reclusive reputation. Initially the person on the phone confirmed that he was Mr Anschutz, but when the reporter introduced himself, the man said that he was an assistant.

Last night the Prime Minister was dragged into the dispute, when the Liberal Democrats wrote to demand that he investigate whether Mr Prescott had breached the ministerial code.

Don Foster, the party’s culture spokesman, wrote: “Since the donation made to a charity to cover the accommodation costs was paid from public funds, there is clearly a public interest issue involved.”

Earlier in the week, the Conservatives had written to Sir Gus O’Donnell, the head of the Civil Service, asking for a similar investigation. Sir Gus’s reply failed to mention the Ministerial Code because it was not in his power, a Cabinet Office spokesman said.

“Paragraph 1.3 of the Ministerial Code says it’s not the role of the Secretary of the Cabinet or other officials to enforce or to investigate ministers”, although they might provide ministers with private advice on matters which the code covers, he said.

Hugo Swire, the Shadow Culture Secretary, sent a second letter to Sir Gus. “Can you now urgently address the question as to whether, by staying with Mr Anschutz at his Colorado ranch, the Deputy Prime Minister may have appeared to place himself ‘under an obligation’ to Mr Anschutz?” he said.

Mr Swire said it was “clear” that Mr Prescott’s duties included overseeing the Dome’s sale and responsibility for casino planning guidelines. Planning experts said that the value of the Dome site could more than double to £250 million if Mr Anschutz receives a casino licence.

• A £15 million lock and flood-control structure, which will protect the East London site of the 2012 Olympic Games, is to be named Prescott Sluices. Officials from the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation who were publicising the project on the River Lea said that the Deputy Prime Minister had always believed in the revival of Britain’s waterways.

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