William Hague hid Lord Ashcroft"s taxation standing for months Politics The Guardian

Lord Ashcroft has certified that he is a "non-dom" - usually profitable taxation on his British income. Photograph: Jon Super/AP

The misunderstanding at the tip of the Tory celebration over the taxation affairs of Lord Ashcroft escalated last night as the former leader, William Hague, certified he had well known "for a couple of months" that the counterpart had renegotiated the conditions underneath that he took his place in the House of Lords.

Hague"s avowal put vigour on himself and the celebration to insist because they have regularly evaded questions about the make a difference in a period of new interviews. It additionally highlighted how Ashcroft, the Conservative emissary chairman, kept his taxation standing tip for roughly a decade from his closest Tory fan and the man who lobbied hardest for his nobility in 2000.

The admission, in a BBC interview, came between flourishing signs of tragedy in in between the Cameron and Hague camps over Ashcroft, who is comparison manager to the party"s ubiquitous choosing campaign. Members of David Cameron"s turn hold Hague has mishandled the issue.

Lord Ashcroft certified on Monday that he was a "non-dom" – usually profitable taxation on his British income. After refusing to answer any questions about what he knew and when, Hague eventually elaborated in an talk on Radio 4"s The World Tonight. The former Conservative personality referred to he had usually not prolonged ago detected the conditions of the agreement that authorised Ashcroft to sojourn a non-dom. He was asked either the "first he had known" of the agreement was when Ashcroft referred to it at the begin of the week. Hague replied: "Well, I knew in allege of that."

Hague was pulpy on just when he had found out. He said: "Over the last couple of months I knew about that; and of march I was penetrating to await him afterwards in creation his on all sides public."

The Liberal Democrat unfamiliar affairs spokesman, Ed Davey, who took piece in the air wave discuss with Hague, told the Guardian: "There are dual questions we right away need to know. How prolonged is a couple of months? Because he has been going turn on the jot down fortifying Ashcroft"s status.And second, when and what visits were done with, and paid for by, Ashcroft?"

David Miliband, the unfamiliar secretary, pronounced last night: "Lord Ashcroft has unsuccessful to come purify with the leaders of the Conservative party, and the leaders of the Conservative celebration have unsuccessful to come purify over the last couple of months with the rest of the country."

"These are promises done in apply oneself of a nobility that was given. And right away taxation has not been paid, and instead it has been since to the Conservative celebration for the ubiquitous choosing fund."

Labour"s ubiquitous choosing co-ordinator, Douglas Alexander, added: "Lord Ashcroft"s on all sides is right away utterly untenable. David Cameron contingency right away action and glow him. He certainly cannot endure a on all sides where the majority comparison piece of of his shade cupboard has been kept in the dim for so prolonged by his majority comparison funder and emissary chairman."

Hague became comparison manager to the row after the Guardian published sum of letters sent in in between him and Tony Blair from 1999 and 2000. In 2000 Hague referred to Ashcroft would turn a full UK taxpayer when he took his chair in the Lords. But this week Ashcroft referred to he has been a non-dom for the last 10 years, after a understanding was concluded when his nobility was awarded. In 2000 Ashcroft offering Hague, afterwards Tory leader, a "clear and unequivocal" declaration that if postulated a nobility he would be a permanent proprietor in the UK by the finish of that year. That minute was upheld to the House of Lords appointments committee. The nobility was authorized inside of a week.

Barry Legg, a former Tory MP and arch comparison manager underneath Iain Duncan Smith, pronounced the Ashcroft event had shop-worn the party. "It is deleterious you have somebody minister so most income to the Conservative celebration who fundamentally doesn"t wish to compensate taxes in this country," he said. "It questions the joining of that donor to the country. It looks as if those people in a on all sides to ask those questions have motionless for whatever reason not to press the matter. It probably reflects bad visualisation on the piece of people that are in assign of the party."

Tensions between comparison Tories additionally flush privately. One Cameron fan said: "We should have confronted Michael Ashcroft. But [Cameron] has been observant all is OK … that was the declaration since to Hague. David Cameron has not had time to confront him … He does not see a good understanding of Michael Ashcroft anyway. But, yes, it is a fuck-up."

3 Mar

William Hague"s reply after he was asked when he found out Lord Ashcroft had renegotiated the endeavour he gave about his taxation status: "Over the last couple of months I knew about that and of march I was really penetrating to await him afterwards in creation his ­position open ... "

7 Feb

Hague is asked if Ashcroft pays taxation in the UK: "When he was done a counterpart in 2000, he was asked to give ­certain guarantees about that and he afterwards implemented those ­guarantees and he"s positive me that he did. Although what they were in item … I am not a celebration to that ... "