Today is the first hearing of the Public Administration Select Committee into “Propriety and Honours: Lessons Learned“. At 3.00 pm oral evidence will be taken from: AC John Yates, Metropolitan Police, Carmen Dowd, Head of Special Crime Division, CPS and David Perry QC.

This is only the first hearing, we are told there will be others.

Tony Wright chairs the committee and is being criticised for selecting the terms of reference to avoid investigating the actual allegations. He no doubt would argue that was the job of the police.

However, if at a subsequent hearing he does not call Lord Levy to answer questions, you can safely assume he has been nobbled. Arguably Blair and Ruth Turner should also be called to explain themselves.

Guido has also seen a copy of a letter sent to Tony Wright by a witness making specific allegations about being offered honours in return for donations to the Labour party. The letter specifies who made the offer, the figures discussed, as well as naming the Labour party operators involved when they were introduced to Tony Blair. The witness states in the letter that they are bemused at the lack of a prosecution. The witness also states in their letter to Tony Wright (copied to all members of the Committee) that they are willing to testify to the Committee. If that witness is not called Tony Wright has been nobbled.

To the hundreds who have pledged publicly (and privately) to financially support a private prosecution and have been wondering what has been going on, rest assured preparations have been made, legal soundings have been taken and we are waiting to see what comes out of these hearings.

You will also remember that after the dropping by the CPS of the case, the briefings in the papers by “friends” of Levy and Ruth Turner that they would be taking legal action against those who made the accusations. Nobody has received a writ. They have gone very quiet.

Yates of the Yard is still chasing down evidence and statements to tighten up the case against Sleazy Levy.

Police flew in Ms Courtney Coventry yesterday to question her again about her dealings with Blair and Levy. In April 2004 she was canvassed by Jane Hogarth, the Labour party’s former head of high-value fund raising who supposedly has been made redundant – but is actually still working as a “consultant” to the party.

Lord Levy introduced Courtney, as a potential donor, to Tony Blair. The police want to know what Levy promised in return for a donation.

Stephen Glover in the Indy this morning agrees with Guido, that it may prove to have been inadvisable for editors to attend Sleazy Levy’s leaving party.

Not long now…

The insouciance of Lord Levy knows no bounds. Last night at his £6,000 leaving party, he joked about honours peddling. He should have learnt his lesson from the last time he went to a fancy dress party in a gangster outfit as “Honours Levy”. The police arrested him the following week after reports in the press of his chutzpah.

In his speech he praised two former FCO Permanent Secretaries – John Kerr and Michael Jay – for their help. He cracked a gag congratulating them on their peerages, saying with a smile: “Nothing to do with me.”

Tony told the Lancaster House party goers “I would like to thank him for everything he has done for our country.” Guido suspects that the next place Tony speaks about Sleazy Levy in public will be at the Old Bailey.

Next Tuesday the Foreign Office will be hosting a party for the twice arrested, out-on-bail, under investigation for corruption, Sleazemaster General himself – Lord Levy. The SNP’s tenacious Mike Weir got Geoff Hoon to admit that the party is being paid for by the taxpayer – “the estimated cost is £6,000, which will be met by the Foreign Secretary’s entertainment budget.”

The LibDem’s Lord Oakeshott asks: “Why should the taxpayer put his card behind the bar for Lord Levy’s leaving party?” Guido would be happy to see the taxpayer pick-up the tab for levy’s food and drink – porridge and prison tea…

There has been some speculation that the CPS could place charges as soon as June, which will coincide nicely with the Blair-Brown handover and the publication of the follow-up Big Red Book of New Labour Sleaze. Guido is also working on another book, with the working title “The Trial of Lord Levy”, for publication, on the advice of lawyers, after the verdict.

While researching the latter book it has come to Guido’s notice that, somewhat bizarrely for a man on police bail, whenever Sleazy Levy is in public he can invariably be seen being kept under the watchful eye of the Metropolitan Police. Guido understands that they are for his personal protection, not surveillance.

Guido never knew it could be so dangerous in leafy Mill Hill…