Ken faces funding probe

An official investigation has been launched into claims that Ken Livingstone is refusing to reveal the names of his financial backers.

The Electoral Commission has agreed to check whether Mr Livingstone has broken strict laws surrounding the funding of mayoral candidates.

It follows a complaint from the campaign of his Conservative rival Steve Norris. The agent of Lib-Dem candidate Simon Hughes has also raised similar concerns.

By law, Mr Livingstone must declare all donations worth £1,000 or more he received in the run-up to the start of the mayoral campaign last Wednesday.

Details of donors are then published on the commission's website. But not a single entry has been posted on the site to date for Mr Livingstone. A commission spokeswoman told the Standard any breach could spark a police investigation and lead to a fine of £5,000. She added: "We were asked to look into Ken Livingstone's donations. Our role is basically to ensure compliance with the Political-Parties, Elections and Referendums Act. At this stage we are only investigating. It may well be that there hasn't been any donations breaching the thresholds."

The amount of funding that candidates raise can play a major part in the success of their election bid. Commission records show Mr Norris has received 18 donations totalling £320,900 to date, including £100,000 from Reading football club chairman John Madejski. During the last mayoral campaign in 2000, Mr Livingstone - then an independent - was able to call on the support of celebrity backers. Chris Evans donated £200,000, while a concert raised £6,000.

This time he can expect financial assistance from the Labour party and trade unions, while artwork by Tracey Emin and Ralph Steadman was recently auctioned off at a fundraising event. City Hall records reveal that by February, a month after he rejoined Labour, he had received around 230 donations to his re-election fund. Each was worth at least £25, though no total was given.

One donation came from the Aslef rail union.

A Labour party spokesman refused to reveal how much had been raised for Mr Livingstone's campaign, or to name donors. "As far as we are concerned, we have declared everything that we have been asked for," he said.