Ex-Labour chief: I was abandoned

Labour's ex-general secretary has accused party leaders of abandoning him over the proxy donations row.

Peter Watt was forced to resign after admitting he knew businessman David Abrahams had been donating cash to Labour through third parties.

Mr Abrahams, Mr Watt and two other ex Labour general secretaries have been told they will not face charges.

But Mr Watt hit out at the way Labour treated him, saying the past 18 months had been a "nightmare" for his family.

In a statement, he said he had worked for the party 11 years, through which his family had frequently suffered for the long hours and stress his job entailed.

"When this matter involving contributions to the Labour Party became a story I was abandoned by the political leadership of thedonations came to light in 2007.

Mr Abrahams, a property developer from the North-East of England, had said he had given the money using the names of associates, including his secretary and a builder, because of a desire for privacy.

'Reasonable steps'

The revelation created an outcry that led to the resignation of Mr Watt, when it emerged he knew of the arrangement.

Scotland Yard was called in by the Electoral Commission in November 2007 and handed over its files to the Crown Prosecution Service last June.

The Labour Party has always taken the view that we should be beyond reproach with regard to accepting and reporting donations

Under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 ('PPERA'), people donating more than £5,000 must do so in their own names.

Lord Triesman, Mr Carter and