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.
The Committee said rules on registering gifts between MPs were unclear when Mr Mandelson arranged the loan from Mr Robinson, who resigned as
Paymaster-General over the affair.
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.
Paymaster-General Mr Robinson, Labour MP for Coventry South West, said the country needed a new attitude towards entrepreneurs, which accepted failure and success.
But MPs said the tycoon
Paymaster-General should have declared an interest in his family's pounds 30million offshore trust.
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.
But
Paymaster-General Mr Robinson dismissed the claims, insisting they had already been examined by Sir Gordon and disregarded.
The Guernsey off-shore trust set up for his family bought pounds 3million of shares in his own firm, after he became
Paymaster-General, it was claimed.
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.
As
Paymaster-General Mr Robinson was in charge of cutting tax breaks to middle income savers.
