Gordon Brown

As Gordon Brown surveys the political wreckage of the past few weeks, he must be wondering what else the North East can possibly throw at him - and whether it could kill off his premiership altogether.
But Mr Brown is also in the frame; linked to the scandal by his fundraiser-in-chief Jon Mendelsohn, a member of his inner circle who, by his own admission, knew about Mr Abrahams's unusual habit of writing cheques for the party - worth more than £650,000 over five years - using other people's bank accounts.
Alistair Darling, Brown's famously monochrome choice for Chancellor, was already mired in the "Northern Wreck" affair when he stood in the Commons 11 days ago to make a barely believable statement.