LONDON -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair's government has recently been accused of "selling" peerages that give the holder the right to a seat in the House of Lords, Britain's Upper House, which is not elected. The police have reportedly begun investigations into these allegations, which if proven would be a serious crime. But it is very difficult to prove such an accusation. Moreover similar accusations can be made against opposition parties. It is thus unlikely that any of the leaders of British political parties will go to prison.

The accusations began when the commission to vet the suitability for appointments to the House of Lords rejected some candidates proposed by the government on the grounds that they were not suitable and appeared to have only been nominated because they had lent substantial sums to the Labour Party in the last election.

One of the candidates had also been chairman of a company that had been awarded big contracts by government agencies. Gifts have to be declared but loans have hitherto been regarded as confidential even though it was clear that the lenders generally did not expect their loans to be repaid. Blair realized that his reputation had been tarnished and that he should take action to deal with the scandal.