by Sunny Hundal

I missed this earlier, but Harriet Harman this morning confirmed that Phil Woolas is not returning to front-line politics, as we have been calling for on Liberal Conspiracy.

Asked on the Andrew Marr Show whether Woolas would be reinstated if the appeal Judicial Review was successful, she said:

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. 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. That’s not going to change, and that’s what we regard as very serious and that’s why we have suspended him.

She also defended the decision to appoint Mr Woolas as immigration spokesman in opposition:

He was an existing member of the frontbench team in his role as immigration minister, the court hadn’t yet made its findings, so he was reappointed when we came into opposition. But once the court finding came through – well he is no longer an MP so there is no question of him being a front-bench spokesperson and indeed he has been suspended from the Labour Party – although there will be a process after that which obviously he will be able to put forward his views in.

I’m perfectly happy with that.

Various people closer to the decision making process told me he was kept on after the election because it was felt moving him might look like they were pre-judging the outcome of the case.

Labour has now cut off any chance of Woolas making a comeback to front-line politics, and that is to be welcomed. I’m glad Harriet Harman confirmed it.

As Don Paskini said earlier – even if the court had found him guilty or not, the party can argue and will argue now, that he brought Labour into disrepute.

The Daily Mirror reported this morning that Woolas needs up to £200,000 to fight the appeal.

Watch Harriet Harman on Andrew Marr



Update: Libcon reader @PeterMEde makes this comment, suggesting that it’s worse for Woolas than people realise: