Media descends as election trial starts
Reporter: Dawn Marsden
Date published: 13 September 2010
A HISTORY-MAKING attempt to overturn a general election result for alleged “corrupt practices” began in Uppermill this morning.
The rare legal challenge — the first in almost 100 years — is faced by Labour MP Phil Woolas.
He was re-elected to the Oldham East and Saddleworth seat on May 6, when he won the seat by just 103 votes following two recounts, and the challenge is from the defeated Liberal Democrat candidate Elwyn Watkins.
The case is set to play out during the course of the week before a media circus which has gathered in Uppermill for the groundbreaking election trial.
Mr Watkins claims campaign material published by his opponent was “misleading” and the result was swayed by attacks in Labour leaflets over alleged foreign donations, support from Muslim extremists and “vote fixing”.
TV crews, radio stations and newspaper journalists descended on the Saddleworth village for the much-publicised legal battle.
There was a heavy police presence as the two senior High Court judges who will consider the case arrived in Uppermill at 9am in an Audi with blacked-out windows.
Police cones prevented people parking around the civic hall, and the legal figures went in the side door as Kashif Ali, who was the Tory candidate during the elections, and a handful of local councillors waited to be among the first to enter to watch the proceedings as members of the public.
The groundbreaking trial will see Mr Justice Griffith Williams and Mr Justice Teare, with the Official Recorder of the House of Commons, hear both sides of the case without a jury.
If they rule in Mr Watkins’s favour it could see Mr Woolas, Labour’s former immigration minister, unseated and a by-election called.
Uppermill Civic Hall has been transformed into a highly-charged courtroom for the proceedings.
It was chosen because the venue has to be in the constituency — ruling out the use of Oldham Civic Centre and the magistrates court.
Public seats will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis for the trial which began at 9.30am today.
