An investigation into the Maxwell pension scandal has run up an £8.8m bill - with no end in sight.

Labour backbenchers urged Trade Secretary Stephen Byers to publish the inspectors' findings into the disgraced Oxford tycoon's business dealings.

Conservatives insisted there must be no attempt to bury the report, which is expected to embarrass the Government by shedding light on the key roles of Labour ministers Lord Donoughue and Helen Liddell.

The Department of Trade confirmed £7.1m had been spent on accountants and £1.7m on lawyers since the probe into the £435m pension scandal began. The trial of Maxwell's two sons in 1996 cost taxpayers £21m. Both were cleared of conspiracy to defraud Mirror Group pension funds.

Shadow trade secretary John Redwood said: "This has been dragging on far too long and people are soon going to start asking why so much money has been spent with no apparent results. We're still no clearer on who was to blame for this scandal.

"There must be no attempt to delay this because it may embarrass ministers who had very close links with Maxwell."

Veteran labour MP Austin Mitchell said: "The Maxwell pensioners who suffered so much will be appalled at the amount which has been spent already."

A Department of Trade spokesman rejected calls to speed up the inquiry. The Government argued inspectors were frustrated by Kevin Maxwell's refusal to answer questions about his father, which a judge ruled was not contempt of court.

Story date: Monday 10 May

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