Team Woolas backs legal bid

PHIL WOOLAS — gathering support

DISGRACED MP Phil Woolas has received a boost in his battle to win back his seat afer Labour colleagues launched a fighting fund to help pay for his legal costs.

But if he fails, a by-election could be held before Christmas with a minimum of 12 working days needed between the election being announced and polling day.

Mr Woolas’s legal team has resubmitted an application for a review, after his initial application was rejected. It’s expected to be the subject of an oral hearing as early as this week.

The Chronicle understands if Mr Woolas wins his appeal he will be automatically reinstated as the MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth, a position he has held since 1997.

But if he fails, then the date of a by-election will depend on when the Writ is laid. Around 71,000 voters in Oldham East and Saddleworth are the only people in Britain to have no MP today.

The fall-out from the sensational election court decision to strip Mr Woolas (pictured) of his seat means around 300 cases he was working on for his constituents will have to be dealt with by adjoining MPs Michael Meacher and David Heyes.

Mr Woolas has the equivalent of two-and-a-half staff, including his Commons assistant Shona Woodfine.

Part-time staff at his office in Lord Chambers, Church Lane, Oldham — which he shared with Oldham West and Royton MP Mr Meacher — are continuing to work on until they are told to stop.

Part-time researcher and Oldham Councillor John Battye said: “Adjacent MPs step in if an MP dies or resigns. We presume disqualification is exactly the same. The constituents can still call and be helped by Mr Meacher or Mr Heyes, we don’t want to say to people we can’t do anything.”

Knowsley MP George Howarth is taking the lead to help raise vital cash needed if Mr Woolas is to take his fight to the next stage and has already secured more than £2,500, with one MP donating £1,500.

Mr Woolas will need to raise tens of thousands of pounds to cover legal costs in the appeal against the decision last week by a specially convened court, which ruled he was guilty of deliberately lying about his Liberal Democrat rival. Mr Woolas was barred from standing for election for three years.

Mr Howarth said: “What we are doing at the moment is sending a letter around to all Labour MPs informing them there is a group of 11 MPs who have started a fighting fund and we have all agreed to put in £100 each to help Phil’s legal costs to help him clear his name and I am hopeful that this will raise several thousands of pounds.

“The fund is open to anyone who wants to contribute and we have already set up a bank account for this to happen. There are two important principles at stake here, the fact is that the good name of Phil Woolas, who many in the party hold in very high regard, and secondly the legal principle that it should be the electorate who decides who is their MP not a judge.”

Earlier this week Commons Speaker John Bercow signalled to MPs a by-election in the constituency should not go ahead until after an appeal had been heard. Mr Woolas has always maintained he did not lie.

Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman came under further fire for cutting Mr Woolas adrift from the party after she said there was no way back after suspending him — even if he won his appeal.

St Helens North MP David Watts said there was concern about courts getting involved and that procedures of suspension while an investigation takes place hadn’t been followed.

Graham Stringer, Manchester Blackley MP, said Mr Woolas’s major contributions to the Labour Party and the Labour government over the last 13 years hadn’t been recognised and writing him off before the appeal seemed unfair and unbalanced.

He added: “General elections in marginal seats are not Sunday school outings.

“They are rough, tough places and things get said that probably in the cold light of day three months later look extreme.

“But that’s happened in every general election since the general franchise.”