LABOUR was looking into claims last night that it received donations from a notorious crime gang. The Adams family from north London is said to have boasted that members gave sums of between UKP2,000 and UKP3,000 before the election.

The party is checking reports that the boasts were secretly recorded by detectives in an undercover surveillance operation. If true, the payments would prove embarrassing for the government.

Sean "Tommy" Adams, who was jailed last week for 7 1/2 years and ordered to pay UKP1m from the profits of a drug deal, is alleged to have said that several payments were made.

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