Support 100 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
7 November 2010updated 27 Sep 2015 2:10am

Woolas has no future in Labour, says Harman

Deputy Labour leader says that disgraced minister will not be reinstated even if he wins his appeal.

By Samira Shackle

Harriet Harman has said that Phil Woolas has no future as a Labour MP even if he succeeds in overturning the court ruling that stripped him of his seat last week.

Woolas has announced that he is taking the case to judicial review, which the Labour Party is not supporting.

Asked on BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show today whether he would be reinstated to the party if the appeal was successful, Harman said:

Well no, because whatever happens in an appeal – what might happen in an appeal, if he does appeal, it could be that they could say on the basis of the facts that the election court found it was not warranted for them to strike down the election result and disqualify him, so he might win on a legal basis.

Select and enter your email address Quick and essential guide to domestic and global politics from the New Statesman's politics team. The New Statesman’s global affairs newsletter, every Monday and Friday. Your new guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture each weekend - from the New Statesman. A weekly newsletter helping you fit together the pieces of the global economic slowdown. A newsletter showcasing the finest writing from the ideas section, covering political ideas, philosophy, criticism and intellectual history - sent every Wednesday. The New Statesman’s weekly environment email on the politics, business and culture of the climate and nature crises - in your inbox every Thursday. Sign up to receive information regarding NS events, subscription offers & product updates.
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.

But it won’t change the facts that were found by the election court, which was that he said things that were untrue knowing it, and that is what we are taking action on – because it is not part of Labour’s politics for somebody to be telling lies to get themselves elected.

It is good to see Labour’s top command separating itself from Woolas’s disgraceful election campaign, in which he attempted to stir up racial tension in his seat of Oldham East and Saddleworth with inflammatory leaflets.

The case is all the more embarrassing for the party as he had been appointed shadow Home Office minister by Ed Miliband, a spectacular misjudgement, given Woolas’s ongoing court case.

The specially convened election court was the first of its kind in 99 years.