HARROW Council's leader will reveal the skeletons in his cupboard if a reader gives £500 to a charity.

Councillor Bill Stephenson was one of a number of politicians and community leaders who will be locked up at 10.45am on Friday, April 1, until they can raise £1,000 for St Luke's Hospice.

The public figures staged a mock arrest on Friday, when Cllr Stephenson promised to reveal how he wound up getting arrested for real in his younger days in return for a £500 donation.

He said: “In my youthful past I did spend a night in a police prison cell with nine other people so this is not a new experience, but I'll desperately want to get out all the same.”

He added: “If they make the donation then I'll reveal the full story and it's never been told before.”

Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, is also taking part and used the event on Friday to call for hospice charities across the country to be funded by the Government.

He said: “In my view it's outrageous that the hospice movement has to raise money in this way and isn't funded by the National Health Service.”

Also taking part are: Navin Shah, London Assembly member for Brent and Harrow, Chris McDermott, headteacher of Marlborough Primary School, Dave Chapman, of head chef at the hospice, Ketan Mandalia, of Blue Ginger restaurant, and Kali Chakraborty, president of Kenton and Kingsbury Rotary Club.