Brendan Ryan (Labour)

As some Members will be aware, following the somewhat traumatic loss of my seat from this House in 1993 I was offered financial support by a very successful businessman, a friend of mine, who offered to pay for a court case which I was at the time contemplating. He then offered to pay the cost of my next election campaign. I had the wit to say "No" to him at a time when I was only a very junior backbencher. I am surprised others did not have a similar level of wit when under pressure. It was obvious to me that it would have been foolish of me to take money from a businessman even though he would not have benefited one way or the other given he lives in Switzerland. What good would I be able to do a businessman anyway, I do not have the credibility to effect those sort of decisions?