Lord Ashcroft is one of the Conservatives' main donors The House of Lords appointments commission has rebuffed calls for an investigation into Conservative donor Lord Ashcroft over his tax status.Lord Mandelson asked for a probe after the deputy Tory chairman admitted he was a "non-dom" - so he did not pay UK tax on anything he earned overseas. The commission said it did not have "retrospective powers" to do so, a position criticised by Labour. David Cameron said Lord Ashcroft had "answered" all questions put to him. The Conservative leader said the matter was now "resolved" and accused Labour of trying to "flog a dead horse". In a sense he's been sitting in the House of Lords under false pretences Lord MandelsonBusiness secretary Q&A: Lord Ashcroft Meanwhile Conservative MP Greg Hands has put in a Freedom of Information request about Lord Paul - a "non dom" who has donated money to the Labour Party.[Read more...]