UK NEWS

LABOUR REBELS TO BACK DAVIS

CAMPAIGN: David Davis

Monday June 16,2008

By Alison Little Deputy Political Editor

DAVID Davis will be backed in his by-election fight by rebel Labour MPs.

Bob Marshall-Andrews and Ian Gibson signalled they were prepared to campaign with Mr Davis.

Mr Davis stunned Westminster last week by saying he will quit as an MP.

But still standing as a Conservative, he aims to win back his Yorkshire seat – and highlight Labour’s “erosion” of civil liberties.

The former Shadow Home Secretary is passionately against allowing terror suspects to be held for up to 42 days without charge – which the Commons narrowly agreed on Wednesday.

Gordon Brown is now presented with the problem of whether to discipline his mavericks but his hint that Labour may not put up a candidate prompted Mr Davis to accuse him of “gutlessness”.

Mr Davis said: “This is a man who bottled it on the general election, bottled it on a referendum and now he is going to bottle it even on a by-election where he could bring the full resources of his party to play against me and argue this.” He said he would bring the campaign to life even without a Labour opponent.

Iraq war veteran Colonel Tim Collins had promised support, as well as some of the other Labour rebels.

Standing against him as a candidate is 26-year-old Miss Great Britain, Gemma Garrett, and her Beauties for Britain party.

She said she wondered if he was “ a little crazy” to give up his seat over something she found “a little bit trivial”.

She wants action on the pay and treatment of British troops and making childcare affordable.

Mr Marshall-Andrews said he would be speaking for a “very large part” of the Labour Party by supporting Mr Davis in the Haltemprice and Howden campaign.

He said: “I’m very sorry my party is not fielding a candidate, very, very sorry indeed.”

Dr Gibson said Mr Davis had a good argument, adding: “You can call it a stunt or a gimmick but there is a serious side to this.”

Others among the 36 Labour MPs who voted against 42-day detention may also join the campaign.

Mr Davis is also hoping to persuade Shami Chakrabarti, director of the civil rights organisation Liberty, to back him.

A YouGov poll yesterday showed the Tories a record 22 points ahead of Labour which is stuck on 25 per cent.