APRIL 15, 2002

Bernie back on the front pages

BERNIE ECCLESTONE was back on the front page of the The Times in London on Monday amid allegations that it was Tony Blair's chief of staff Jonathan Powell who made the first contact with Ecclestone in 1996, asking for a donation to the Labour Party. This later blew up into a huge political scandal in Britain with Ecclestone being portrayed by politicians as a magnate who was trying to buy political influence. Blair's government has been plagued by allegations of cash-for-access.

The revelations are embarrassing for Blair as he will now have to explain why the truth about Ecclestone was not told at the time.