A RECLUSIVE North-East property developer has admitted to being Labour's third largest donor.

Millionaire David Abrahams, 53, the son of a former Lord Mayor of Newcastle, made payments to the Labour Party through 'friends and colleagues' because he did not wish to attract publicity to himself.

He said: "I'm a member of the Labour Party and have been for about 40 years; since I was 15.

"I have always been fortunate enough to be able to make substantial donations to several charitable organisations as well as to the Labour Party for a number of years.

"But I am a very private person and I did not want to seek publicity.

"I gifted money to my friends and colleagues so they could make perfectly legal donations on my behalf.

"Donors to the Labour Party get a lot of publicity and I did not want that."

Mr Abrahams - a prominent member of the North-East Labour Party - spoke after it emerged that Ray Ruddick and Janet Kidd - who both have close links to Mr Abrahams - are listed by the Electoral Commission as having donated £196,850 and £185,000 respectively to Labour since 2003.

Between them they are recorded as having given the party £222,000 since Gordon Brown became leader, making them his third biggest donors after Lord Sainsbury and businessman Mahmoud Khayami.

Today builder Mr Ruddick, who drives an old Transit van and lives in a former Newcastle council house, joked: "I'm off to the bingo to see if I can win the money."

A Labour spokesman confirmed today that the Party's General Secretary Peter Watt had been asked to look into the donations.

"It is important that the Labour Party is beyond reproach in this matter.

"The General Secretary has therefore been asked to investigate this issue and report his findings to the Party's treasurer."

Mr Abrahams said he could not comment on why Mr Ruddick, 55, initially denied any knowledge of the monies donated in his name.

Mr Ruddick, wearing a tatty brown fleece and carrying under his arm all the Sunday newspapers, joked: "I have got nothing more to say about the Labour Party donations apart from that today I'm off to the bingo to try and win the kind of money they say I have.

"Then I'll be able to make the kind of donations they say I have too."

Mrs Kidd is understood to work as a secretary to Mr Abrahams.

Neighbours at Mr Abrahams' £900,000 converted family home in the up-market suburb of Gosforth, Newcastle, said they rarely saw him.

One man said: "I've lived here five years and in that time I've met him once."