Labour's Dirty Double
Two former Labour MPs finally met their Waterloo today - albeit in the courts, not on the field of battle.
Former Labour minister, former GMB official and former NUS president - Phil Woolas - lost his appeal in the High Court over a dirty general election campaign - last May.
Phil Woolas had previously been found guilty of telling blatant and deliberate lies about his Lib Dem opponent during that campaign - and a special election court declared the result null and void.
Woolas refused to accept the result - hence his appeal to the High Court which upheld the original decision, as widely expected.
Woolas may now face disciplinary action by the Labour party - as he remains an individual member even though he is no longer an MP.
Elsewhere in another court, David Chaytor - another former Labour MP - pleaded guilty to three charges of false accounting.
Chaytor falsely claimed £18,350 in rent for properties in London and Bury - by producing bogus tenancy agreements which he presented to parliament for payment - as part of his MP's expenses claims.
Chaytor also falsely charged £1,950 for IT support services in May 2006 - saying that he supplied two invoices from a man named Paul France for his 'professional services' - when in fact the services had not been provided.
Former Labour minister, former GMB official and former NUS president - Phil Woolas - lost his appeal in the High Court over a dirty general election campaign - last May.
Phil Woolas had previously been found guilty of telling blatant and deliberate lies about his Lib Dem opponent during that campaign - and a special election court declared the result null and void.
Woolas refused to accept the result - hence his appeal to the High Court which upheld the original decision, as widely expected.
Woolas may now face disciplinary action by the Labour party - as he remains an individual member even though he is no longer an MP.
Elsewhere in another court, David Chaytor - another former Labour MP - pleaded guilty to three charges of false accounting.
Chaytor falsely claimed £18,350 in rent for properties in London and Bury - by producing bogus tenancy agreements which he presented to parliament for payment - as part of his MP's expenses claims.
Chaytor also falsely charged £1,950 for IT support services in May 2006 - saying that he supplied two invoices from a man named Paul France for his 'professional services' - when in fact the services had not been provided.
Chaytor will be sentenced in the New Year - for his dishonesty.
