Jowell gets backing of standards watchdog

LONDON, Mar 6 (Reuters) Scandal-hit Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell shrugged off calls for her resignation today as several Labour colleagues put on a show of support and she got the backing of the parliamentary standards' commissioner.

Earlier, Prime Minister Tony Blair repeated his support for one of his closest allies.

Jowell is under fire over the business dealings of her lawyer husband David Mills who is involved in a graft probe linked to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Despite calls for her to resign from some Labour Party colleagues, Jowell smiled in parliament and was cheered as she stood to answer questions on departmental matters.

''I hope my departmental questions continue to provide the political highlight of the month,'' joked Jowell, with cabinet colleagues Ruth Kelly and Patricia Hewitt alongside.

Earlier, she met the standards watchdog to ask whether she needed to amend her entry in the MPs register of interests given the allegations that have been reported in the last week.

Sir Philip Mawer told her she did not have to make changes.

''On the basis of the information available, he didn't learn anything in the course of his discussion with her that indicated a change in her entry was needed at present,'' said a spokeswoman for the commissioner.

SPLIT FROM HUSBAND On Saturday, Jowell and Mills said they were separating, blaming the strain of probes into their financial affairs.

Friends have denied media suggestions that Jowell sacrificed her 27-year marriage to save her political career, which includes leading preparations for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Magistrates in Italy are investigating whether Berlusconi bribed Mills to give favourable evidence in a corruption probe, an accusation both Berlusconi and Mills deny.

Prosecutors in Milan are this week expected to ask a judge to put Mills on trial on a corruption charge in Italy.

Although Jowell was last week cleared by an inquiry of breaking a ministerial code of conduct, some Labour lawmakers are worried about the damage done by weeks of bad headlines.

Many Labour members find it distasteful for one of their ministers to be linked to such a scandal when the party vowed to root out sleaze in 1997 when it came to power.

Jowell faces separate calls for her resignation as head of Labour's campaign in London for May's local elections.

''It is going to be a huge distraction if Tessa continues to lead the London election campaign,'' said Labour lawmaker Kate Hoey. ''There is no doubt there have to be questions answered before everyone can feel we can put this issue aside.'' Her resignation would be a blow to Blair who is fighting to maintain his authority before some difficult parliamentary votes in coming weeks.

Last week Jowell was cleared after saying she was unaware of a 0,000 payment used to repay a mortgage on her and her husband's home. She said she accepted her husband should have told her sooner about a sum of money he received in 2000.

Ministers and family members must not accept gifts which appear to place them under an obligation to return a favour.

But the inquiry, by Britain's top civil servant, did not establish the origin of that money. Italian prosecutors want to know if it came from Berlusconi and if that amounted to a crime.

REUTERS CH KP2315