Watkins: I fought to clean up politics

Elwyn Watkins addresses the crowd outside the court

Victorious Liberal Democrat Elwyn Watkins said he fought his case for democracy and to clean up politics.

He told a packed press conference outside Saddleworth Civic Hall: “I am proud of the judicial system which has helped me so much in this situation.

“It will help clean up politics. The idea that if you lie about your opponent — then simply you have no part to play in democracy.

“Politics has to be better than this. Making up lies about you opponent has no part in in politics.”

But after his statement he left without confirming he wished to be the Liberal Democrat candidate in the forthcoming by election.

And it was left to his party’s deputy leader Simon Hughes to say Oldham East and Saddleworth voters should be proud to be part of political history.

When and if a by-election was called, the party would have to decide who the candidate was, he added. But he said new Labour leader Ed Milliband should listen and reflect on what had happened to Phil Woolas: “I believe it was foolish of him to appoint Mr Woolas to his front bench (as shadow immigration minister) when this case was pending.”

Mr Watkins (pictured) said Oldham has a history of difficult community relations and to invent falsehoods about death threats and cry wolf too many times had undone Mr Woolas.

He denied the judgement was an attack on free speech and added: “You have certain boundaries and lying about your opponent and their personal character a couple of days before the election when he has no chance of a response was done in a deliberately cynical way.”

Mr Hughes denied the judgement would open the floodgates to more cases saying: “There is a difference between a closely fought case and a case where people invent things.

“I am surprised in a way he (Woolas) has not accepted it and said ‘OK I have lost.’”

Former Secretary William Hague confirmed that the Tories will field a candidate and fight the Lib-Dems for the Oldham East and Saddleworth seat adding, “It is a coalition, not a merger."