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MP tells jury of internal strife  

By LUCY MILLARD - 13-03-1999

Newark Constituency Labour party was incapable of winning the seat in a General Election before she was appointed candidate, Mrs Fiona Jones told Nottingham Crown Court this week. 

She had agreed that Mr Dave Barton should be her agent but lost confidence in him after one particular campaign meeting and shortly after that they parted company.

During that meeting there was a dispute with Mrs Gill Dawn and Mrs Doreen Westmoreland and both stormed out.

Mrs Jones (42) of Church Street, Saxilby, and her agent for the 1997 General Election Mr Des Whicher (73) of George Street, Newark, have both denied making a false declaration of election expenses.

Giving evidence on Monday, Mrs Jones said the Newark constituency party had enormous problems. It had no money and no obvious way of raising any. It did not even have a telephone contact point.

After her selection as candidate Mrs Jones said Mr Barton had approached her and offered to be her agent. "I agreed with some reservations," she said. "At the time I felt it unwise to spurn the offer."

Her reservations were that because Mr Barton had twice been the Labour candidate he would want to run her campaign in the same way it had been done for him.

Her barrister Mr Roy Amlot QC asked her about a campaign meeting in Newark on May 23, 1996, when Mrs Dawn and Mrs Westmoreland had been present.

Mrs Jones said Mr Barton had agreed she should chair the meeting but when she arrived he had taken the chair.

She pointed out that it had been agreed she should be chairman. Constituency party secretary Mr Vic Hall had stepped in and said he recalled the conversation.

Mrs Jones said she had been warned that Mrs Dawn and Mrs Westmoreland intended to raise an issue not connected with the campaign.

When Mrs Dawn tried to do that Mrs Jones told her unless it was relevant to the campaign meeting she was not prepared to allow it. Mrs Dawn and Mrs Westmoreland then stormed out.

Mrs Jones had said her confidence in Mr Barton had been shaken by what had happened. Soon afterwards he had asked her to his home and said he felt it was best if he did not continue as agent because his work took him away from home a lot.

She said she had agreed and felt it would have been difficult for them to continue to work together. A few months later Mr Whicher became agent. Mrs Jones said he was very committed and they got on very well.

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