Access to Blairs on sale for pounds 8,000 Business can buy access to Blairs

COMPANIES ARE being promised invitations to an exclusive reception attended by the Prime Minister and his wife, Cherie Booth, in return for sponsoring stalls at this year's Labour Party conference for up to pounds 8,000 a time.

The revelation is likely to raise new concerns over whether businesses can buy access to political parties and to senior politicians.

Although Labour warns potential sponsors it cannot arrange meetings with ministers or senior officials in return for their cash, the Tories promise "introductions to key guests and shadow cabinet ministers" at their own conference reception.

The Prime Minister's wife will hand out prizes for the best stands, and members of the Cabinet will be present, according to details of conference sponsorship opportunities seen by The Independent. Ms Booth will choose the winners herself on a tour of the exhibition area and the exhibitors, who will pay between pounds 3,000 and pounds 8,000 for a stand, will all be invited to the reception.

Labour asks firms to sponsor an international reception attended by all MPs and MEPs, and adds that Mr Blair, the European Socialist group leader, Pauline Green, and the Labour Party general secretary, Margaret McDonagh, were present last year.

The party offers the chance to buy into a women's social evening attended by ministers, a local government meeting addressed by a "senior minister" and a local councils' reception attended last year by John Prescott and his team.

The party offers a huge range of sponsorship opportunities to business at this year's conference. They can pay to have their names on anything from the flowers at the annual dinner to the 300 stewards' shirts. The conference creche is "a niche sponsorship opportunity", the stair treads "provide excellent coverage", the signers for the deaf are a "joint sponsorship opportunity" and the delegates' welcome pack is "an excellent brand-awareness opportunity". Accreditation passes and lanyards that caused a storm of protest when they were sponsored last year by the Somerfield supermarket "received tremendous coverage".

Labour's commercial activities are not limited to the conference, though most of the pounds 1.4m they bring in comes from the main autumn event. Companies can also sponsor internal election ballot papers or a party business review magazine.

Events throughout the year at which firms can display their logos and meet political figures include an MPs' briefing in November with an opportunity for sponsors to address the audience and an "academy" to train political activists for the future, which would provide "a quite unique opportunity for sponsorship".

The Conservatives offer a more limited range of options, with conference exhibition stands costing between pounds 2,000 and pounds 6,750 and commercial observers' passes costing pounds 300 for four days.

A Labour spokesman said sponsors could not expect to have any significant discussions with the Prime Minister, with his wife or with ministers.

"The exhibitors' reception is a sweep in, sweep out sort of thing. Tony probably goes to about 20 receptions in an evening, so to say there is a level of access would be stretching it," the spokesman said.