Labour response to NESNO designation
14th September 2004
For immediate release

Labour calls on NO campaign to come clean about Tory links
Labour's Ashok Kumar MP has called on North East Says NO to come clean about their links with the Conservative Party.

The call comes as NESNO are designated as the official no campaign for the North East Regional Assembly referendum. Ashok Kumar said: "I can reveal today that almost 20% of NESNO backers are either Tory politicians or Tory donors. It is clear that the links between North East Says No and the Conservatives run very deep. "The names we have revealed today are only the tip of the iceberg and NESNO must now come clean about the extent of their links to the Conservative Party.

Labour and Yes For The North East are running complementary but separate campaigns however it appears that the NO campaign is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tories. "How much money have the Tories given to NESNO? How much support have Tory staffers given? How often do they co-ordinate their plans to deny the people of the North East the powers to run their own affairs? "Labour wants the people of the North East to take the power to run their own affairs. I believe we have achieved a lot already but with an Elected Assembly we could achieve so much more. The Government has already transferred power to Scotland and Wales, this is the next step in giving power back to the regions of England."
-ends-

For further information please contact
Colin Edgar on 07866 442 873

Notes Of the fifty supporters listed on the NESNO web site, nine are either current Tory politicians, failed Tory candidates or listed on the electoral commission web site as Tory donors.

The Supporters who have links with the Tories are listed below:

John Elliott MBE, Chair of NESNO and Tory Party donor

Sir David Kelly CBE, Director of NESNO and former Director of Tory Party donor Kelly Packaging

Sir Tom Cowie OBE, NESNO Council member and Tory Party Donor

Ian Dewhirst, NESNO Council member and former Director of Tory Party donor Dewhirst Group

Lord Elliott of Morpeth, NESNO Council member and Tory Peer

Joan Halbert, NESNO Council member and former Director of Tory Party donor Kilfrost

Peter Scrope, NESNO Council member and Tory candidate for Darlington, 1997

Lord Vinson, NESNO Council member and Tory Peer

Graham Robb, NESNO spokesman, North East Tory Spokesman and former Tory candidate.