Sarwar Issues Writ

On Sunday, the News of the World claimed that Mr Sarwar, a multi-millionaire, had paid £5,000 to the Independent Labour candidate, Islam Badar, in order to get Mr Badar to reduce his campaign profile. In a statement, Mr Sarwar stressed that he would not allow his libel action to interfere with his constituency duties.

Peter Paton: complained to the police

Two other candidates have also said that Mr Sarwar tried to bribe them. Peter Paton, who polled 325 votes as the Unofficial Labour candidate, lodged a complaint with police over an alleged attempt to bribe him by a senior Labour Party official in Govan. And Jamil Abbasi, who stood on an Independent Conservative ticket, claimed that he was offered £50,000 by two of Mr Sarwar's associates to withdraw from the election. Mr Abbasi refused. "I am a man of dignity and principle," he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, pledged that the Labour Party would uncover the truth. He pointed out that in addition to the police investigation underway, Mr Sarwar had been interviewed by Labour's Chief Whip, Nick Brown, and that the party had launched an internal investigation.

Meanwhile, Mr Sarwar has received a degree of support from an unexpected source. Neil Hamilton, the former MP at the centre of the "cash-for-questions" scandal, spoke of his "tremendous sympathy" for Mr Sarwar. Mr Hamilton, who was ousted from his Tatton seat by the former BBC correspondent Martin Bell, declared: "In essence our situations are much the same, except his is subject to a police investigation...I will presume he is innocent until proven guilty."
Investigation into Allegations of Labour Bribe