Guardian - Alleged offer to rebel MP investigated: The police inquiry into the sale of honours may be widened to investigate allegations that the independent MP Peter Law was offered a peerage by Labour party officials not to stand against the official Labour candidate in the last general election.

Independent - Labour MP was offered peerage to head off rebellion, widow says: Mr Law, who died last week, ran as an independent at the last general election in Blaenau Gwent, previously the safest Labour seat in Wales. The allegation by his widow that a "high-ranking politician" had tried to buy him off with a seat in the Lords has been emphatically denied by the Labour Party. But suspicious Tories queried how the Labour Party could be in a position to be so sure the allegation was false, so soon after it was aired... Sir Ray Powell, the long-serving Labour MP for Ogmore, in Wales, claimed after the 1997 general election that he had turned down an offer of a peerage made by party officials hunting for a safe Welsh seat to reward Alan Howarth, who had claimed a footnote in history by being the first sitting Tory MP to defect to Labour. When Sir Ray refused, another Welsh MP, Roy Hughes, offered his seat, securing a life peerage in return. But offering a peerage to someone as an inducement not to run against a Labour candidate is more serious, because it could be interpreted as a breach of a law dating from 1925 banning the sale of honours. This month Maggie Jones, who as Labour's official candidate was defeated by Mr Law in the last general election, was awarded a peerage.

[UPDATE - BBC - Hain accused of offering peerage (04 May): Plaid Cymru have named Welsh Secretary Peter Hain as offering the late MP and assembly member Peter Law a peerage.]

Pretty slick, huh? But wait... we fear it's even slicker:

Because the Tories have Boris and the Lib-Dems have Mark Oaten, both parties have been quick to agree that John Prescott's affair is a private matter... but the affair was with Tracey Temple, his Assistant Private Secretary and Diary Manager. Surely this makes it a career matter.

Even the sheer hypocrisy of it is grounds for claiming that a minister has lost public confidence (Prescott made quite a few gains on the back of Tory sleaze), but are we really supposed to tolerate the use of a grace-and-favour flat as a near-to-office love-nest?

Further; are we honestly supposed to believe that the work that John Prescott was scheduled to do (that was scheduled by his secret lover) did not include the occasional 'accidental' meeting-of-convenience?

And who the hell is willing to investigate this? All you'd need is one diary entry that shows either or both parties used their position to secure the opportunity for a taxpayer-funded out-of-town tryst.

WARNING: GOSSIP AND SPECULATION FOLLOWS

Those who contribute to Guy Fawke's blog (in posts and comments) recently rounded on political reporter Nick Robinson and his 'surprise' at what they claimed to be an open secret. Nick Robinson's response speaks volumes. It also needs to be noted that Trevor Kavanagh, former political editor of The Sun, recently said the following on Radio 5 Live: "Learning that John Prescott's had an affair is a bit like learning that Simon Hughes is gay. I mean, everyone knew he has affairs. He's had a string of affairs throughout his life and this has come as no surprise."

The same crowd over at the Guy Fawkes blog (note: again, we are referring not only to the owner of the site, but also the anonymous Westminster insiders who respond to his revelations under comments) were equally sure of themselves when they threatened to release the name of another woman that they claim had an affair with John Prescott. That name is now in the public domain.

More on that name in a moment... let's first look at the nature and context of the allegations:

Guy Fawkes (April 26): Guido knows that where there is one blousy mistress, there is often another... Inquiring minds should be looking for a local grammar school girl (this would be prior to him becoming DPM). The girl has since done very well for herself.

The woman at the centre of these allegations is Rosie Winterton.

She worked for John Prescott as his Constituency Personal Assistant from 1980 until 1986, and again as his Head of Office from 1994 until 1997 (when Prescott was deputy Party Leader).

In 1997 Rosie Winterton was elected MP in the safe Labour seat of Doncaster (a position she still holds). She also served as Minister of state for health from 2003 to 2005.

Cash and favours for peerages? Pah!

If allegations of an affair prior to 1997 prove to be true, then a serious question has to be asked, and it can be summed up in the following headline (which we have cleaned up a tad to make it suitable for universal consumption):

COPULATION FOR CONSTITUENCIES?

UPDATE (30 April): Scotsman - Prescott's lover tells of trysts in office: Last night another woman, former Labour party candidate Sarah Bissett-Scott, also claimed she had had an affair with Prescott over 20 years ago.

We readily acknowledge that chinese-whispers could have resulted in some confusion between Sarah Bissett-Scott and Rosie Winterton... but it's equally possible that both women feature in his "string of affairs throughout his life"...