Bernie gave to Tories too, says Sunday Times

An anonymous senior Tory source told the newspaper that Ecclestone personally gave and helped to raise up to £700,000 for the party's pre-1997 election 'war chest'. He said that the money, paid in five or six instalments, was given two or three years before the election, following a dinner between Ecclestone and the then prime minister John Major.

"He was charmed and agreed to help raise some money," said the source. "It seems he raised money from contacts and friends as well as giving himself - and in total the sum from him and his contacts came to between £600,000 and £700,000."

Ecclestone's £1m donation to Labour came to light in November 1997, six months after its general election victory and a week after a private meeting between prime minister Tony Blair, Ecclestone and other motor racing industry figures had led to the government announcing it would support the exemption of F1 from the proposed Europe-wide ban on tobacco sponsorship.

Labour repaid the donation on the advice of Lord Neill, the chairman of the committee on standards in public life - despite Ecclestone insisting the donation was not linked to the tobacco debate.

In its article, the Sunday Times says that when quizzed last weekend, Ecclestone denied giving money to the Tories, joking: "I only make donations to a party if they give it back."

Speaking in this month's F1 Racing magazine, before stories of donations to the Tories had surfaced, Ecclestone was asked if he had voted for Labour in the 1997 general election.

"No," he said. "Well, I mean, my family were all conservative-minded and, to be absolutely honest, I've only ever voted once, and that was in the '97 election. But I voted conservative, as it happens. I know you're not supposed to say these things, but that's what happened. And I probably won't vote in the next election."