Nick Clegg denies past donation misuse

Following revelations by The Daily Telegraph that the now LibDem leader had monthly donations from three businessmen go directly into his personal bank account back in 2006, party representatives have come out to say all the money was properly accounted for, registered and used in support of Liberal Democrat expenses. The payments, said to amount to £250 per month, came from a Diageo, a KPMG and an ex-gold-mining executive respectively. They are all registered as official Lib Dem donors. Mr Clegg went on record this week by saying the funds were used to pay a member of his parliamentary staff.

In contrast, The Daily Telegraph claimed it had found documents which were pointing towards personal uses of the money, for purposes such as Mr Clegg’s mortgage, shopping and other expenditures. However, these donations were officially registered as required with the specific institutions (the Electoral Commission, the Parliamentary Register of Members Interests) at that time, said a spokesman for the Lib Dem MP. Suggesting that there was improper use of the funds is “utterly unacceptable”, the Tory representative went on to declare.

The issue of party donations is likely to be dug up again, as Nick Clegg prepares to face his main general election opponents tonight, in the second live TV debate bringing together the main party leaders. The debate will start at 20.00 BST and is hosted by Sky News.

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