Complaint follows peer's donation

Lord Haskins: A Labour peer

Labour peer Lord Haskins could face disciplinary action from his party over his donation of £2,500 to a Liberal Democrat candidate in May's election.

A complaint has been made by fellow Labour peer Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld calling for Lord Haskins to be thrown out of the parliamentary party.

Lord Hoskins said he made the donation to Lib Dem Danny Alexander as he was a friend who he worked with previously.

Lord Hogg, who has written to the chief whip, said it was "indefensible".

It is not an excuse for him to say it was a personal gift. It was money given to aid the campaign Lord Hogg

Lord Hogg said on Thursday: "I think members of the Labour Party in Scotland will be extremely angry about this.

Lord Haskins, who worked with Mr Alexander at Britain in Europe, made the donation prior to the General Election, when the Lib Dem candidate went on to unseat Labour's David Stewart.

"David Stewart is a much respected man and the MPs will be angry that a Labour peer did this," said Lord Hogg.

'Personal'

"It is not an excuse for him to say it was a personal gift. It was money given to aid the campaign - that is quite clear - otherwise it wouldn't have appeared in the register of donations. It is indefensible."

The peer said he has written to chief whip Lord Grocott, pointing out that Lord Stoddart of Swindon lost the whip back in 2001 "for precisely the same reason".

Lord Stoddart showed support for an independent candidate over Labour's Shaun Woodward in the election battle for the St Helens South constituency.

Lord Hogg has also sent letters to the party's general secretaries in London and Scotland informing them of the action he has taken, he said.

The donation - revealed in the publication of donations to parties by the Electoral Commission - was also criticised on Wednesday by Jim Gray, agent to David Stewart.

A Lib Dem spokesman said it was a "personal" donation rather than a donation to the party.

Lord Haskins has a long record of making donations to the Labour Party.