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Fiona Jones' arrival 'was like a breath of fresh air'

By LUCY MILLARD - 13-03-1999

The arrival of Fiona Jones in Newark was like a breath of fresh air, Mr Vic Hall told the court on Wednesday afternoon. 

Mr Hall, the secretary of Newark Constituency Labour Party, said they had been very down after the 1992 election. They had put everything they could into the election fund but had failed to win the Newark seat.

He said Mrs Jones had been selected as the Labour prospective candidate in September, 1995 and had been enthusiastic and energetic. She had lots of new ideas including voter identification and the use of computers.

"She brought us back to life," he said.

At the same time she appeared to have her detractors, said Mr Hall.

He said Mr Dave Barton had asked him for a meeting together with constituency party chairman Mr Jim Napier. Mr Hall said he knew it was about Mrs Jones and after speaking to his wife called Mr Barton to say the meeting had been arranged but he would not be going.

Mr Hall was asked about the voter identification system. He said the idea was to build up a database of known Labour supporters. He initially had reservations about it but once he saw how it worked they were dispelled.

A small group of five volunteers, including Mr Hall, had tried to contact as many people as possible, They used a script issued by the Labour Party. The idea, he said, was simply to ask how a person was going to vote. The script said in red letters they should not try to get the person to change their vote.

Mr Hall said the Newark constituency party had actively started looking for an office in May 1996. They had been given £1,000 by the Southwell branch towards the cost, Balderton gave £500 and there was a donation from Retford. Newark did not give anything.

Mr Hall said the Paxton's Court office had been a constituency base and was intended to help raise the profile of the party.

It was also available as a centre for the county council candidates although it was not used by the two Newark ones.

The office became a campaign headquarters, said Mr Hall, once the General Election had been called and after Mrs Jones' adoption meeting.

He said he knew about the two donations from Mr MacLeod and said he had no reservations about accepting them.

LEFT: Vic Hall

"I was thankful for the money," he said.

Mr Hall said he felt Mrs Jones was a very conscientious and hard-working MP

"If you were in the office you would see the constituents who come along and you would see the work she does," he said.

"She holds regular surgeries and is prepared to travel around the constituency."

Mr Edward Fitzgerald QC asked Mr Hall if he had ever heard anyone ask Mr Whicher for the election accounts before March 1998.

Mr Hall said that had not happened in his presence and he felt it would be the treasurer's ultimate responsibility to produce them.

Under cross examination Mr Hall said he had signed some blank cheques for Mr Whicher who told him what the majority of them were for.

Prosecutor Mr Paul Mann asked him who had asked for the Toyota hire car. He said the request had come from Mrs Jones and Mr Whicher and it was felt it was needed to get her about the constituency.

Mr Hall agreed with Mr Mann that the office lifted the profile of the party and their prospective parliamentary candidate.

Said Mr Mann: "You were not going to win Newark just as a result of Mrs Jones. You were going to win the seat by promoting as coherently as you could the Labour messages."

Mr Mann asked him about Mr Harris's allegations about Labour spending which were reported in the Advertiser.

Mr Hall said he felt Mr Harris was probably a poor loser. He knew there were members of the party who could, and were, causing problems in the run-up to the election and the concern the article raised with him was that they were going to do so again.

 

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