Police stand by as MPs return to work

Brown’s aides brace themselves for charges post-Abrahams, says our Westminster insider

The shadow of Scotland Yard is hanging over Downing Street again as Gordon Brown prepares for a blizzard of announcements to show he can beat David Cameron and Nicholas Clegg on policy.

As soon as MPs return to Westminster after the New Year break, the PM intends to get back onto the offensive with initiatives ranging from new nuclear power stations to tackling binge drinking by targeting parents of wayward kids.

But there's no disguising the fact that Brown's aides are gloomily bracing themselves for criminal charges to follow the police investigation into 'Abrahams-gate'.

Tony Blair finally escaped the 'cash for honours' debacle when the 1925 Act making it an offence to sell peerages was found to be full of holes. But the police are on surer ground this time. Brown himself has publicly declared that it was 'illegal' to accept proxy

donations from property developer David Abrahams through third parties. The law, as set out in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, is clear: it is an offence to use someone else to mask your identity when giving money to a political party.

There have been rumours that Lord Triesman resigned as Labour party general secretary way back in 2003 because he refused to engage in the subterfuge. He was replaced by Matt Carter who resigned after being cleared by the Yard investigation into cash for honours. Carter in turn was replaced by Peter Watt, who resigned in November when he discovered the 'error' after Abraham's proxy donations came to light.

Some of the Government's law officers are furious that they have worked alongside people who have been prima facie law breakers.

In the meantime, Brown has invited Westminster lobby journalists to a New Year ice-breaking drinks party on January 16 at Number Ten. He finds small talk difficult at the best of times, so the conversation could prove stiffer than a treble Laphroaig.