“Honours probe questions begin”
23Jul07
The cash-for-peerages affair ends, and without any charges despite earlier indications that some higher-ups would be charged. The BBC’s roundup begins:
It lasted 16 months, cost £1 million, saw senior Downing Street aides arrested and even then prime minister, Tony Blair, interviewed by police.
There was one significant change to come of the whole affair, however: the “loophole” that allowed parties to not disclose their loans was closed shortly after the revelations began. And it set in motion a debate about political finance in the UK, though it remains to be seen if future changes will be made.