William Hague has been invited to come before the Public Administration Select Committee next Thursday to shed what light he can on how Michael Ashcroft got his peerage.

Ashcroft told Hague in 2000, in his solemn and binding undertaking, that he would become a permanent UK resident.

But we now know from Ashcroft himself that this changed to "long term" resident. This made a huge difference to his liability for tax.

I have spoken to Peter Bradley, the former Labour MP for the Wrekin, about the Ashcroft saga. Peter has been following the twists and turns for years. He wants to know if the conditions were renegotiated and, if so, when, how and by whom?

And how and by whom were they approved?

As I explained in an earlier blog, Peter was in correspondence with Sir Richard Wilson, Cabinet Secretary at the time of Ashcroft's enoblement, and with his successor, Sir Andrew Turnbull.

In an exchange of letters over a four year period, there was no mention of renogotiation.

Here is this morning's press release from the Public Administration Select Committee:

The Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) met yesterday to agree arrangements for a one-off evidence session on propriety and peerages, as announced by the Chair on 4 March.

Dr Tony Wright MP, PASC Chair, said:

“I announced last week that the Committee would be holding a one-off evidence session on propriety and peerages, to explore the process through which Michael Ashcroft’s undertaking of 23 March 2000 to take up ‘permanent residence’ in the UK as a condition for his introduction into the House of Lords came to be interpreted in subsequent dialogue with the Government as ‘long-term residence’, with likely consequent tax implications.

“The evidence session will take place next Thursday, 18th March, at 11am.  The only confirmed public witness is Sir Hayden Phillips. I understand that Lord Ashcroft intends to respond early next week to the Committee’s invitation to give evidence. At the Committee’s request, I have also today written to William Hague, to offer him the opportunity to provide his perspective on these events, if he would like to do so.

“The committee has also invited representatives of the former Political Honours Scrutiny Committee to appear, and is expecting to receive written evidence from the Cabinet Office.”

For further information about the work of the Committee, visit our website at: www.parliament.uk/pasc