Could this escalate?

Michael, Westminster

So what? He shakes the hand of and smiles next to people that hsve given his party large sums of money, and anyway surely Labour does the same by offering 'affiliation'

Oscar

This sounds like another Spelman-type campaign. The media led by the BBC will do their damndest to make it escalate. The public won't be bothered. The trouble with the hacks is they can't differentiate between their own fevered Westminster village sensations and the real corruption that truly bothers voters. This sounds like it belongs firmly in the former camp.

Liz Brown

and Liebore doesn't do the same - Mital anyone? credit the general public with some intelligence

Tiberius

Crick might fancy a go at this, but I wouldn't think it has legs unless all Labour MPs declare they don't shop at Sainsbury's.

Steve Garner

Are you running out of things to write about Peter?

GeoffH

He has his picture taken with donors. Huh? Is that it?

It would be a scandal if he didn't. Couldn't be bothered to say 'Thank you' would be the complaint.

Ted Tedford

It is surprising that hard-headed factory owners should imagine association with such a figure, free or not, confers any sort of commercial advantage. In fact it demonstrates a rather touching, if naive, faith in the standing of politicians.

Less surprisingly, this is further evidence of the insatiable appetite of our news media for fabricated 'scandal'.

Paul Brooks

I suppose it's too much to expect the truth to get in the way of a good story. Chris Kelly is not "Scania's UK distributor" - he is the owner of just one of Scania's many distributors in the UK. By his obvious lack of any background research Mr Joe Murphy, political editor of the Evening Standard, shows what sort of journalist he is.

David

I'm really struggling to see anything to this.

Richard Nabavi

Er - isn't it the other way round? Surely David Cameron is the one getting the publicity and photo opportunities? (And a jolly good thing too, if it helps!)

Edward Rivers

At least David Cameron will ensure a unity of support for his parties message, loyalty and reward not the most corrupt message, its not cash for honours. This action will have more possitive effects as a pragmatic political messure. It will only be a scandal to the liberal bigots at the BBC. It is only a storm in a tea cup.

David

I mean, he's hardly going to launch a policy at a company where there's a risk of the owner slagging the party off.

CS

If only this was how all corruption worked in this country. You give politicians loads of money and in return you get...der der der der...a photo opportunity.

JGS

What a daft non-story.

Clive

"cameron accused.." says the Standard. By whom we are not told.

And he went to a sponsor's business partner's factory to launch a new policy.

Wow, scandal indeed.

Silent Hunter

I have to agree that this is a bit of a 'non story'.

If publicity is all that DC's giving his supporters then perhaps we could get back to looking at Cash for Honours via the Labour Party.

Hysteria

scandal schmandal

Chris paul

I agree that it a non-story too. But it is rather similar to the rash of silliness that Guido unleashed on Peter Hain over his posing with MDs etc in Wales.

The biggest factory opening trick from DC I can think of is a JCB factory in India while on other business and being flwon around by an obscure Belize based private jet.

Oscar

Chris Paul - there was much much more on Peter Hain than a photo op as Guido has assiduously revealed. And it's all been covered up by the BBC who just lurve to invite Hain onto any of their news programmes.

John

Yep - the level of BBC campaigning on behalf of ZanuLab is breathtaking. The BBC itself is corrupt to the core, so no wonder it's in bed with the most corrupt government this country has had this side of 1820.

It's a complete non-story. Only hacks from planet Zog can see anything in it.

Chuck Unsworth

So Cameron must not allow his picture to be taken with any donor to the Conservative Party? Well, try that thinking with regard to all parties at all levels.

Newspapers would be so much slimmer.

The real issue is whether Cameron is in the business of handing out government contracts (and our cash) to these donors. Clearly he's not in a position to do so - although he might be in a couple of years.

Most businessmen I know would be going for much quicker returns than that. There's plenty of gravy being splashed around right now by the NuLab incompetents.

Alex

Non-story - no matter how hard the BBC et al. will probably (desperately) try to dress it as a piece of 'Tory-Toff sleaze' , it's not exciting enough to capture the imagination of the general public.

TrevorH

Huh - I cannot believe you are wasting endangered pixels on this tripe.

OF COURSE 'David', et al, should be thanking donors. The Tories should be shouting from the rafters who is donating them money. Its great that donors want the publicity, which was not always the case.

The real story is that people are proud to be Tories.