The
Paymaster-General said that this was the "biggest take-up ever of a measure of this kind" and said that the Conservative Party wanted to abolish the tax credits.
The
Paymaster-General insisted that there was no question of the European Council acquiring power over tax issues by turning it into an area in which changes could be made by qualified majority voting, rather than unanimity as at present.
And his controversial personal background is to star in a new book by Geoffrey Robinson, the former
Paymaster-General who was forced to resign with Mandy last Christmas.
Mr Robinson was made
Paymaster-General after the 1997 General Election, a post he held until last Christmas when he quit after it emerged he had lent pounds 373,000 to then Trade Secretary Mr Peter Mandelson.
But last night
Paymaster-General Geoffrey Robinson insisted the Treasury wanted only to play an "enabling role" - not to set up a rival to the No 10 policy unit.
Publishers Penguin confirmed this week that everything was on course for a release before Christmas of the book by the Coventry North-west MP and former
Paymaster-General.
The Commons Standards Committee reported he should have declared his pounds 373,000 loan from former
Paymaster-General Mr Geoffrey Robinson (Lab Coventry NW).
TransTec, previously owned by Coventry North-west Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson, the former
Paymaster-General, was put in the hands of receivers Arthur Andersen just after Christmas as the group collapsed with debts approaching pounds 130 million.
Mr Mandelson resigned before Christmas when details emerged of the pounds 373,000 loan he received from Mr Robinson (Lab Coventry NW), who quit as
Paymaster-General over the affair.
But MPs said the tycoon
Paymaster-General should have declared an interest in his family's pounds 30million offshore trust.
Individual wards and trade union branches in the city have confirmed their support for the multi-millionaire who resigned as
Paymaster-General last December over his pounds 373,000 home loan to Peter Mandelson.
The
Paymaster-General and Coventry North West MP (right) came under fire after it was revealed he had lobbied Ministers to support a pounds 150million development of the Coventry City Football Club, which is partly owned by his offshore family trust.
