Cash for Peerages, Weekend papers speculation

There has been some interesting speculation in the papers this weekend over who will be charged in the Cash for Honours/Cash for Peerages affair.

When I heard the news I speculated that three people would be charged, and yesterdays Daily Mail carried this article claimed detectives were demanding the same people, Ruth Turner, Lord Levy and Sir Christopher Evans be charged. (Well that is the terms the Daily Mail used)

Needless to say the Crown Prosecution Service (The CPS) is now an arms length prosecuting authority and has made it clear that it decides and takes no recommendations from other agencies. (See Sky news here)

I didn't bother writing about all that yesterday because I had already covered the main points the day before here.

However I did speculate that two others could be charged and one of those in the frame would have been Tony Blair's chief of staff Jonathan Powell. The Sunday Times carries this article saying detectives believe there is enough evidence to prosecute Powell, quoting senior Whitehall sources.

All this is very interesting. Johnathan Powell is in the frame after that meeting with Turner and Levy last year which caused Ruth Turner to write a memo saying that Lord Levy was effectively asked her to lie. (I broke the injunction story here, then more details leaked here, The Times accused Lord Levy of trying to get Ruth Turner to lie, and I said that if Levy did not sue for Libel we would draw our own conclusions here.)

It's all good fun isn't it?

The question is when will the canaries sing?

You can read more on the Cash for Peerages here.