The victor and the vanquished: 2

Woolas: the rise, the stumbles, the big fall
THE whole country learned who Phil Woolas was when he was ousted from the Labour party after losing the historic election court battle on Bonfire Night.

Defeated Lib-Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins had succeeded with his petition that Mr Woolas had used dirty tactics to win the Oldham East and Saddleworth seat by attacking his personal character to sway voters - and was now the victor.

It left the shamed Labour MP fighting to save his political career during which he had steadily risen through the ranks.

The court battle may have brought Mr Woolas national notoriety this year but it was clear that he was a force to be reckoned with from the moment he came into power in May, 1997.

Degree
The 50-year-old father of two, who holds a BA degree in philosophy from Manchester University, was elected into the constituency during Labour’s landslide victory.

He retained his seat in 2001, despite a push from the far right British National Party following the Oldham riots, and was appointed a whip before becoming deputy leader of the Commons in 2003.

In 2005, he was promoted to Minister of State with responsibility for local government before he became Minister for the Environment in 2007. He was made Minister of State for Borders and Immigration in 2008.

Less than a month into the job, he floated the idea of a 70 million population limit and launched a stinging attack on the government’s previous record of removing failed asylum-seekers.

He accused lawyers and charities working for asylum-seekers of “playing the system” and said most of their clients were not fleeing persecution but were economic migrants.

His comments led to him receiving a custard pie in the face from pro-migration protesters during an appearance at Manchester University.

And he shocked members of the clergy by predicting the disestablishment of the Church of England in an increasingly multifaith society.

But despite his much publicised gaffes, Mr Woolas was seen as an effective minister in getting across the message that Labour was determined to get immigration under control.

His hard man image was tarnished, however, when he was cornered by actress Joanna Lumley at the BBC’s Millbank Studios.

Miss Lumley staged an impromptu press conference where a visibly uncomfortable Mr Woolas could only nod along when she issued her demands for Gurkha veterans rights to stay in the UK.

But it was the election court case that uncovered the really damaging revelations, hearing that the Immigration Minister had set out to ‘make the white folk angry’ and stir up racial tensions in a desperate bid to win votes.


I back Labour to win
PHIL Woolas is backing Labour to win the seat. “I think that people are outraged, even people who do not support Labour, that that judges can overturn their decision.

I am, and will remain, a member of the Labour Party. The reports that I have been thrown out of the Labour Party are simply not true.”