Minister rejects criticism

London - British trade minister Lord Simon of Highbury last night came out fighting in the political row centring on an alleged conflict of interest generated by his £2 million BP shares holding. Lord Simon, the former BP chairman who became the Minister for Trade and Competitiveness in Europe in Mr Blair's government, rejected what he termed unsubstantiated "charges and innuendoes". In an angry attack on the Tories pursuing the affair, Lord Simon criticised "what was once the party of business" and warned that such campaigns could deter other senior business figures from playing roles in government. - (PA)