Blair faces Commons probe over Ecclestone

TONY BLAIR today faced a possible probe into claims he "deliberately misled" Parliament over his role in the "Ecclestone affair".

Secret documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that Mr Blair personally asked culture minister Tessa Jowell to look at an exemption from a tobacco advertising ban for Formula One hours after meeting the sport's boss, Bernie Ecclestone, in 1997.

The Government has always maintained that the meeting did not influence the final decision over the exemption even though Mr Ecclestone was a major party donor at the time having given £1million to Labour.

But Tory MPs John Maples and Peter Luff told the Commons last night that the documents show that Mr Blair lied about his role.

Mr Maples told the Speaker: "I urge you to give us a lead in this so that we can insist on full and truthful answers from ministers and a sanction against those who deceive us."

Commons Speaker Michael Martin pledged to look into reports that the former prime minister had failed to give an accurate account and asked Mr Maples and Mr Luff to write to him so that his officials could look into the matter.

But defenders of Mr Blair say the papers merely show that he asked Ms Jowell to look at the issue and had not made a firm decision on it. A spokesman for Mr Blair insisted: "There is nothing new here."