Ashcroft Documents: read the letters in full13: 46 22/03/2010, Ian Cobain, civil service, conservatives, guardian.co.uk, House of Lords, Michael Ashcr

Ashcroft Documents: read the letters in full13: 46 22/03/2010, Ian Cobain, civil service, conservatives, guardian.co.uk, House of Lords, Michael Ashcroft, news, party funding, politics, News, Britain, William Hague, Guardian Unlimited

Timeline that shows the correspondence between the number of Whitehall, the government and conservatives, and what that meant
Read all the letters in full

June 19, 1997
William Hague became Conservative leader.

June 1998
Lord Ashcroft - who has been donating to the Conservatives since 1981 - was appointed treasurer of the party.

March 8, 1999
Ashcroft has named a peerage.

May 20, 1999
Tony Blair writes to The Hague, saying the owner of the Conrad Black media has been accepted for a peerage, but control of the Political Committee has rejected Ashcroft honors.

May 23, 1999
Hague wrote to Blair, saying he has learned the reasons for rejection. The leader of the Conservative whip, James Arbuthnot, had spoken to Lord Hurd of Westwell, one of the three members of the Audit Committee, who said Ashcroft had been rejected, partly because it was a tax exile and was "incompatible for someone he chose to be outside the country for most of the years to be a coworker.

The Hague confirmed that Ashcroft "is in fact non-resident for tax purposes, but has pledged to become residents for next year, adding:" This decision of the cost (and benefit the Treasury) tens of millions a year tax is still considered worthwhile.

June 1999
The rejection of the nobility of Ashcroft is reported in the media, but the reason is clear.

December 9, 1999
Ashcroft settles libel action against the Times. A joint statement issued on the first page of the newspaper, said: "Mr Ashcroft has told the Times that recognizes the public concern about foreign funding of British politics, and it intends to reorganize its affairs in order to re - live in Britain. "

February 29, 2000
With Hague about to make a second bid for a title Ashcroft - is still a tax exile - Lawyers for billionaire Allen