Watkins tries to speed up historic hearing

Defeated general election candidate Elwyn Watkins hopes to force the pace of the first election court hearing in 100 years which could unseat a sitting MP.

The Liberal-Democrat said his legal team was still waiting for a response from Labour’s Phil Woolas, who was re-elected as MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth on May 6.

So Mr Watkin’s legal team has gone to the Elections Court, part of the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court, to set out how it hopes the case will proceed.

If the court agrees, he hopes there will be full disclosure of the evidence from both sides on July 16, a further preliminary hearing at the end of the month, ready for a hearing in Oldham in September.

Mr Watkins issued an election petition because he alleges Labour’s campaign literature — published, with Mr Woolas’s consent by his agent Joe Fitzpatrick — made three false claims. Both men are named in the petition.

Mr Woolas’s re-election came after a bad-tempered campaign and an election night count which lasted 12 hours. The former Labour minister was elected after two recounts by 103 votes.

Mr Watkins says it is not about the small margin of the win and says he would be taking action whatever the majority.

Mr Woolas said: “In my view Elwyn Watkins is making a complete fool of himself, which shows he is such a bad loser. He needs to get a life.”