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Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One boss, says despots are underrated  

Mr Ecclestone is an unlikely Labour donor. In 1997 his £1 million gift had to be repaid after Formula One was given the only exemption to the ban on tobacco advertising. “I am glad I gave money to Labour as I got it back. I thought Tony Blair was doing a good job at the time.”

Although he insists that Labour did not change the policy because of his donation, he became disillusioned with Mr Blair. “He probably told a lot of lies while he was there. They have to lie, don’t they, politicians? The truth is not always good to hear.” . . .

He seems to see Hitler as a passive bystander who was too weak to stop the Holocaust.

“In the end he got lost so he wasn’t a very good dictator. Either he knew what was going on and insisted, or he just went along with it — either way he wasn’t a dictator.”

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• Revealed: Ken Clarke’s free trips to F1 and opera - courtesy of tobacco giant  

Fresh details of the way tobacco companies wooed Tory business spokesman Kenneth Clarke with perks including tickets to the opera, rugby and Formula 1 motor racing were disclosed last night.

Mr Clarke was heavily criticised by anti-smoking groups for being paid more than £1million in his ten years working for British American Tobacco while he was an MP.

He resigned as deputy chairman of BAT last year, widely seen as preparing the way for last week’s political comeback when David Cameron appointed him to the Shadow Cabinet.

But The Mail on Sunday can reveal he was offered generous perks from BAT and its main rival while he was a senior Minister in Conservative governments led by Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

Sir Patrick Sheehy, then chairman of BAT, invited Mr Clarke and his wife Gillian to La Traviata at Glyndebourne and an England rugby international.

While Chancellor, Mr Clarke corresponded with Sir Patrick after the tobacco boss asked him to intervene to protect the firm’s commercial interests. Mr Clarke promised to curb ‘excessive cost and regulation’.

In addition, Philip Morris, makers of Marlboro cigarettes, a big Formula 1 sponsor which was fighting EU plans to outlaw tobacco advertising in the sport, invited Mr Clarke to the British Grand Prix. . . .

The new information comes from documents collected by the University of California from US law suits against tobacco companies. . . .

In 1989, Mr Clarke, by now Health Secretary, resisted moves to include ‘smoking kills’ warnings on cigarette packets. In the same period, BAT’s rival, Philip Morris, also offered to entertain Mr Clarke. . . .

Labour MP Kevin Barron last night called on Mr Clarke to explain his ‘cosy relationship’ with tobacco firms.

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Mark Daniels: Jenson Button's Smoking Ban Woes 

Almost every team has, at one point or another, been made wealthy through the provision of finances by giant tobacco companies and British American Tobacco used the sport's vast television audience to promote its Lucky Strike and 555 brands, powered around the circuit by Honda engines and figure-headed by the 1997 World Champion, Jacques Villeneuve. Button joined the team in 2004 and his performances immediately upset his Canadian team-mate, who felt the young upstart should defer to him - an attitude which ultimately saw Jacques' career come to an end and sprung remarkable comparisons to the problems faced by Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso in 2007.

But with the demise of tobacco sponsorship, banned today in many Western countries, Honda took complete control of the team from BAR, made Button the team-leader and set about taking on Ferrari and McLaren for the title of Constructor's Champion.

Sadly, despite a solitary win and some podiums in 2006, the team's performances have been woeful and in today's collapsing global economy they announced this morning that the team was up for sale and out of the sport for good, unless a buyer can be found. . . .

In fact, if many of the teams were allowed to run with cigarette sponsorship then Formula One - the world's self-proclaimed richest sport - would not be in the financial mess it currently is, and Jenson Button wouldn't be running the risk of having to join the list of Britons about to be unemployed.

And there's the solution to the world's global financial meltdown: the tobacco companies have millions to spend on advertising, their financial power could simply help give the economy a boost, it would get all forms of sporting industries out of trouble, and repealing the smoking ban would get Britain's hospitality industry moving once again.

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Honda Quits Formula One to Cut Costs as Profit Falls (Update3)  

It returned to F-1 in the 1980s as an engine supplier, then in 2004 purchased a stake in the BAR team from British American Tobacco, which it bought out a year later to form the Honda team for the 2006 season. . . .

Honda Motor Co. quit Formula One racing, cutting at least 20 billion yen ($216 million) in costs after the carmaker slashed its earnings forecast, fired assembly workers and reduced production.

Japan’s second-largest automaker may put the Brackley, England-based team up for sale, President Takeo Fukui said today at a news conference in Tokyo. Honda will also no longer supply engines to other teams.

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PIERCE: Tony Blair's reputation finally goes up in smoke 

So he lied after all? More than 10 years on, The Sunday Telegraph has presented evidence that Tony Blair deliberately intervened to exempt Formula One racing from the ban on tobacco advertising.

In a funny way, the apparent lie is even more shocking than the one he told in the House of Commons about Saddam Hussein's nonexistent weapons of mass destruction. . . .

When the meeting with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone first surfaced in the press, in 1997, the size of the donation was unknown. I wrote that it was £1.5 million. Naturally, New Labour's spin doctors dismissed my article as malicious fiction.

Yet within 24 hours the party had confirmed that it had, in fact, received £1 million. That night, I asked its most senior press officer if there were any more uncomfortable revelations about the party's relationship with the most powerful man in motor racing. He insisted there were not. Nevertheless, the next day I reported that a second cheque for £1 million was in the post. So, in total, the deal was £2 million.

Within days, the saintly new prime minister went on television with John Humphrys to insist: "I'm a pretty straight sort of guy. . . .

Having worked through election night, I was outside Festival Hall in May 1997 when the newly elected PM talked of the birth of a "new dawn", as thousands of supporters sang Things Can Only Get Better. What a shattering blow it must be for those who believed the lyrics that, within three months, their champion was lying through his teeth to save his political skin. No wonder people are turned off politics.

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Tobacco sponsorship bill fires up Greens 

NSW is on the verge of reopening the door for the tobacco industry to again sponsor horse, car and motorcycle racing events, the Cancer Council of NSW says.

The wording of a clause within the Public Health (Tobacco) Bill 2008 currently before state parliament would exempt the tobacco industry from a ban on sponsoring racing events in the state, the council said.

Tobacco sponsorship of all sporting events has been banned in NSW since 1995.

The new legislation was designed to help prevent people from taking up smoking and to addicted smokers to break the habit.

"We were absolutely astounded and appalled when we saw this particular clause in the bill," Cancer Council tobacco control manager Wendy Oakes said.

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• Blair will not face British probe over F1 tobacco ban: speaker 

Former prime minister Tony Blair will not face an investigation into how Formula One racing was exempted from a tobacco advertising ban, the House of Commons Speaker said in a letter released Monday.

Blair had faced a possible probe by Speaker Michael Martin after two lawmakers complained following the release of new papers on the move in 1997 under freedom of information laws. . . .

Now Martin has written to one of the two lawmakers who complained, John Maples of the main opposition Conservatives, to say that while Blair's answers on the issue "could have been clearer", he would not take further action.

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• Tobacco bill glitch goes up in smoke  

THE State Government has blamed a clerical error for the inclusion of a clause in its anti-tobacco advertising legislation that would have bypassed existing ad bans and allowed tobacco companies to sponsor high-profile sports such as motor racing and horse racing.

The Premier, Nathan Rees, made the embarrassing admission after his Health Department came under fire for inserting the clause into a bill drawn up to curb sale of cigarettes to minors.

Asked whether tobacco companies would be allowed to sponsor V8 Supercars, which will hold a race at Homebush Bay next year, Mr Rees said "no" and added: "The advice to me is that it was a drafting error and we are going to fix it. If there is a loophole, we will fix it."

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Tessa Jowell accused of misleading MPs over Tony Blair's role in Bernie Ecclestone affair  

Tessa Jowell, the Olympics Minister, has been accused of misleading MPs over the Government's controversial decision to exempt Formula One from a ban on tobacco advertising.

The revelation could lead to calls for Miss Jowell to resign Photo: Bloomberg

An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has found apparent discrepancies between evidence given by Miss Jowell to an all-party Commons committee in November 1997 and official documents from the period, which have just been released under the Freedom of Information Act.

The disclosure reignited the row over the Ecclestone scandal of 1997 and could lead to calls for Miss Jowell, who was the public health minister at the time, to resign.

Miss Jowell, who denied that she had misled the committee, is the second major figure to be embarrassed

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Tony Blair rejects claims he "deliberately misled" Parliament  

Michael Martin, Speaker of the House of Commons has said he will investigate the claims.

Mr Martin promised to intervene after the matter was raised by John Maples and Peter Luff, two Conservative MPs who told the House the evidence proved that Mr Blair had "lied" to Parliament.

In the House, Mr Maples told Mr Martin: "I urge you to give us a lead in this so that we can insist on full and truthful answers from ministers and a sanction against those who deceive us.''

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• Probe launched into why Blair exempted Formula One from ban on tobacco advertising  

Commons Speaker Michael Martin last night launched an investigation into whether Tony Blair 'deliberately misled' Parliament over New Labour's first sleaze scandal.

The Speaker said he was 'deeply concerned' by claims that the former prime minister 'lied' to MPs over how Formula 1 came to be exempted from a ban on tobacco advertising. . . .

Misleading Parliament is a breach of the ministerial code of conduct and a sackable offence.

It is unclear what, if any sanction Mr Blair could face if an inquiry found he had done so, since he is no longer an MP.

However, the former prime minister could face a humiliating recall to Parliament to explain himself if a Commons committee decided to reinvestigate the affair.

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Blair denies misleading MPs over F1 tobacco sponsorship 

Tony Blair tonight rejected claims he “deliberately misled” the British parliament when he was prime minister over sleaze allegations.

Previously secret documents appear to show Mr Blair personally intervened to secure Formula One’s exemption from a tobacco advertising ban hours after meeting the sport’s boss, Bernie Ecclestone. . . .

A spokesman for Mr Blair insisted: “There is nothing new here.

“All these issues were known and debated at the time, and the documents released are entirely consistent with Tony Blair’s answers at the time.”

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EDITORIAL: Holding ministers to account  

A LOT of water has passed under the bridge since Tony Blair found himself caught up in his first so-called sleaze scandal over the Formula One tobacco-advertising row.

Yet, more than 10 years later, people are still asking questions about what really happened, and whether Mr Blair exerted an improper influence on decision-making. Some might ask what is the point of such retrospective inquiries; after all, it is over and done with and the leading players have often moved on to other things.

The real point is that it is all about ministers being straight with the public and held to account over their actions if not. Mr Blair subsequently told us he was "a pretty straight kind of guy", but nobody could tell where the spin stopped or started. The same principle applies to the invasion of Iraq and the so-called dodgy dossier on which Mr Blair pinned all his hopes of persuading parliament and the British public to back him. . . .

the right to ask awkward questions must be encouraged in the interests of good government.

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Blair intervened over F1 tobacco ban exemption, documents show 

Tony Blair personally intervened to secure an exemption for formula one from a tobacco advertising ban just hours after meeting the sport's boss, Bernie Ecclestone, according to Whitehall documents.

Previously secret papers, obtained by the Sunday Telegraph, show that the former prime minister personally intervened in pushing for the exemption hours after meeting the formula one boss Bernie Ecclestone.

The incident, in the first few months of Blair's premiership, became known as New Labour's first sleaze scandal.

The government has always maintained that Blair's meeting did not influence the final decision over the exemption, even though Ecclestone was a major donor to the Labour party.

At the time, Blair denied any personal involvement in the issue

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'Blair intervened' on tobacco ban 

The government has always maintained the meeting on 16 October did not influence the final decision over the exemption. They insisted it was a joint decision made with the Department of Health at a later date.

However, the Sunday Telegraph says newly released documents - obtained under Freedom of Information laws - "prove conclusively Mr Blair ordered his government to prepare for the policy change immediately following his meeting with Mr Ecclestone".

They reportedly show the prime minister instructed his then Chief of Staff, Jonathan Powell, to signal his support for a derogation within hours of the meeting.

The following day, Downing Street wrote to then Public Health Minister Tessa Jowell stating: "The prime minister would like your ministers to look for ways of finding a permanent derogation for sport, in particular F1." . . .

A spokesman for Mr Blair said: "There is nothing new here. All these issues were debated at the time."

Fore the Conservatives, shadow work and pensions secretary Chris Grayling said: "These revelations blow the lid off what looks to have been a culture of deceit in Downing Street under Tony Blair.

"Mr Blair assured us at the time that there was no deception and if, as is now thought, this claim was untrue, Mr Blair has some serious questions to answer."

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