Phil Woolas applied for a judicial review into the ruling, but as the Labour Party withdrew its support he had to finance it himself, and Woolas started asking for donations.

The court granted Woolas permission to bring judicial review and that review overturned one of the three breaches of the section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 found by the Election Court.

Woolas sought a judicial review of the decision in the High Court, but was unsuccessful overall as that Court upheld the decision of the Election Court in relation to two statements, whilst quashing the decision in relation to a third.

Following the Government defeat, the Minister for Immigration Phil Woolas announced that a further review would be completed by the middle of July.

After the review ruling, a Labour spokesman said, " The Labour party administratively suspended Phil Woolas after the original judgment of the election court.

On 24 October 2008, Phil Woolas, UK Minister of State for Borders and Immigration was subject to a pieing by No Borders activists following his controversial comments on population control.

The BNP announced on 2 December 2010 its intention to launch a court action to have the Barking election result overturned under section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, using the precedent set in the Oldham and Saddleworth constituency of Phil Woolas who was ejected from his seat for lying about his opponents during the election campaign.

Philip James Woolas ( born 11 December 1959 ) is a British politician who was the Labour Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Oldham East and Saddleworth from his election in 1997 to 2010.

In September 2008 Woolas was criticised by the Daily Mail for giving a House of Commons pass to Deborah Dunlop.

In the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009, Phil Woolas reportedly claimed expenses for items not allowed under the rules.

In Spring 2009, Woolas was involved in a controversy regarding the rights for Gurkhas to settle in the United Kingdom.

On 24 April 2009, Woolas proposed a new settlement for Gurkhas who were discharged before 1997.

The Times described Woolas as " a campaign fixer for Mr Miliband ".

Woolas and his agent, Joe Fitzpatrick, were also responsible for photo manipulation of images in his election addresses.

Labour MP Graham Stringer ( Blackley and Broughton ) was vocally supportive of Woolas and criticised Harman and the party for suspending Woolas.

After losing the 2010 election by 103 votes, Liberal Democrat candidate Elwyn Watkins submitted a petition for a hearing by an election court, claiming that campaign literature issued by his Labour opponent Phil Woolas breached the Representation of the People Act 1983 by making false statements about his personal character.

On 13 March 2007, UK Local Government Minister Phil Woolas announced plans to create a " cabinet " of the Leaders of the six councils ( Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral ) in a form of regional devolution for what was termed the " Liverpool City Region ".

Mole was appointed in June 2005 to the position of Parliamentary Private Secretary PPS to the Local Government Minister Phil Woolas.

He was an ally of disgraced former Labour MP Phil Woolas.

Harriet Harman, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, announced that Woolas was also suspended from the Labour Party.

Woolas was born in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, on 11 December 1959.

In October 2006, Woolas was involved in the United Kingdom debate over veils, particularly the case of Aishah Azmi, a Muslim teaching assistant who wore an Islamic veil in class.

In February 2010, following the accusations of bullying made against Gordon Brown and other members of the UK cabinet, Woolas was quoted as referring to the head of the National Bullying Helpline, Christine Pratt, as " this prat of a woman " in a radio interview.

Woolas was later confronted at the BBC Westminster studios by the actress Joanna Lumley ( the face of the Gurkha Justice Campaign ) about the issue.

Woolas stated that cost was a prime consideration: " Our estimate is £ 1. 4 billion, and I remind the House that that would come from the defence budget.

Woolas was re-elected in the 2010 General Election, although the result would later be over-turned by an election court.

Woolas won the election and was returned to Parliament with a majority of 103 votes – down from 3, 590.

Following the election of Ed Miliband as the Labour Party Leader, Woolas was reappointed to the immigration brief on the shadow front bench team.

The New Statesman said it was a " bizarre decision " as Woolas had " run one of the most disgraceful election campaigns in recent history ".

On that day Woolas was found to have breached section 106 of the Representation of the People Act 1983.

Woolas was accompanied to court by the Labour Shadow Health Secretary John Healey.

Woolas is married to events organiser and ex-lobbyist Tracey Allen, who was a founding partner of Morgan Allen Moore lobbyists.

Although Phil Woolas of Labour ( who was their defeated candidate in the 1995 by-election ) has been victorious in all three general elections since then, his majorities have not been substantial and the Conservative vote has increased from 16 % to 24 %.

Ms Lumley confronted Phil Woolas at the BBC Westminster studios about the issue and, after pursuing him around the studio, the pair held an impromptu press conference in which Woolas agreed to accept Gurkha Justice Campaign input in developing new guidelines by July while giving sympathetic treatment to Gurkhas not meeting the then current immigration guidelines before the development of new guidelines .< ref >< http :// www. youtube. com / watch? v = yOv-u_-QX60 & feature = related > Lumley & Woolas announcement </ ref >

Woolas joined the Labour Party at the age of 16 and became involved in student politics through the Anti-Nazi League.

Woolas gave his backing to close political ally David Miliband and represented him at events throughout the country.

However, Woolas officially nominated Diane Abbott, at the request of David Miliband.

Davies contested Oldham East and Saddleworth at this election but lost to Phil Woolas of Labour.

" In March 2011 the Crown Prosecution Service announced that it would not bring criminal charges against Woolas as the finding of the Election Court already disqualified Woolas from holding elected office.

Bloggers repeated a report in The Mail on Sunday that the lobbying industry ’ s regulatory body said that Ms Dunlop ’ s arrangement with Environment Minister Mr Woolas clearly breached its code of conduct banning political consultants from holding a Commons pass or having ‘ any involvement on behalf of a political party ’.

Woolas said the items were on a receipt he submitted under food claims, but were not claimed themselves, and threatened a newspaper with legal action.

In November 2008, Woolas attacked lawyers and charities working on behalf of asylum seekers, accusing them of undermining the law and " playing the system " by taking legal action.

* Phil Woolas: Times article on his fight against racism which inspired views on limits on immigration