Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Catherine Ashton, as she was then, handing in a petition to No 10 in her CND days, in 1982. She is second from right

David Charter in Brussels
Baroness Ashton of Upholland’s past came back to haunt her yesterday when the European Union’s new foreign affairs chief was forced to deny taking funds from the Soviet Union during her days as treasurer for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Lady Ashton, a surprise choice for her post, was challenged to deny that she had contact with Russian sources while she was in charge of its accounts at the height of the Cold War.

The Times has learnt that concerns about her CND involvement are felt across countries from the former Iron Curtain now in the EU and that MEPs plan to question her about it when she appears before them for the hearing to confirm her in her post.

Nigel Farage, the UK Independence Party leader, raised the matter on the floor of the European Parliament yesterday, earning himself a reprimand for referring to Lady Ashton and Herman Van Rompuy, the new European President, as pygmies.

Mr Farage added: “She was treasurer during a period when CND took very large donations and refused to reveal the sources. Will Baroness Ashton deny that while she was treasurer she took funds from organisations opposed to Western-style democracy? Are we really happy that somebody who will be in charge of our overseas security policy was an activist in an outfit like CND? I do not think she is a fit and proper person to do this job.”

Lady Ashton was not present but her spokesman said: “This was more than 25 years ago. She left the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament in 1983 and has had no involvement in the organisation since then. During her time in the CND she never visited the Soviet Union, had no contact with the Soviet Union and has never accepted any money from Soviet sources. The first time she visited Russia was as EU Trade Commissioner.”

All the candidates for the next European Commission must undergo formal hearings at the European Parliament and the European People’s Party, the main centre-right group, has pledged to reject any who have promoted communism in the past. Lady Ashton has denied being a member of the Communist Party.

She is due to have an informal meeting with the MEPs’ Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday and a formal hearing in January, although she starts her new job on Tuesday.

Krisjanis Karins, a centre-right Latvian MEP, said: “Some information has been published that she was involved in this Marxist movement. If this is the case it is disturbing. We are especially concerned how the High Representative for Foreign Affairs will conduct discussions with our eastern neighbour.”

Hynek Fajnon, an MEP for the Czech centre-right ODS party, told the newspaper DNES: “There is no doubt that the Kremlin supported CND activities. If Mrs Ashton as treasurer had played any role in that, it would be a great scandal.”

Kate Hudson, chairwoman of CND, said: “Supporters of nuclear weapons have made such allegations over the years, yet not once have they produced a shred of evidence to support them. In the 1980s Bruce Kent offered £100 to anyone who could prove CND had received money from Moscow — the cheque remains unclaimed.”

Ms Hudson added: "UKIP is merely re-hashing decades-old unsubstantiated allegations which have no basis in fact. UKIP cites figures for a year when hundreds of thousands of people joined some of the largest demonstrations Britain has ever seen, during the course of which countless unrecorded individuals would have made contributions of all sizes — quite the opposite of funds coming from the machinations of a foreign power. CND will be consulting lawyers regarding the allegations made by UKIP."

DESARMAMENTO NUCLEAR, PAZ E COOPERAÇÃO, ETC ERAM COISAS QUE OS SOVIÉTICOS FINANCIAVAM PARA ENFRAQUECER O OCIDENTE.A MIM CAUSOU-ME LOGO COMICHÃO O ENTUSISMO DA ANA GOMES, ESSA ACTIVISTA DA DESCOLONIZAÇÃO, DA AGORA COLONIZAÇÃO,DA PERSEGUIÇÃO DE AGENTES DA CIA E PELOS VISTOS ADMIRADORA DO DESARMAMENTO UNILATERAL DO OCIDENTE...
DE FACTO A EUROPA CONSEGUE NASCER LOGO COM UMA FORMIGA BRANCA AO SEU MAIS ALTO NÍVEL...O QUE DEVE LEVAR OS PATRIOTAS A TER MUITO CUIDADO COM OS AFRICANIZADORES POIS QUE QUANDO ELA REBENTAR O QUE SERÁ DE PORTUGAL, O MAIS AFRICANO?