Flight: Keeping up the pressure

The standoff between Howard Flight and Michael Howard is continuing after the former Tory MP insisted his future lay in the hands of his constituency association.

In a statement late on on Tuesday, the embattled MP said the media had blown up an "embarrassing row" - but insisted he could still stand as a Tory candidate.

He said his lawyers had concluded that his future could only be determined by local members.

"Contrary to what others have said, it is actually the members of the association only which have the power to de-adopt me as their adopted candidate, which I am already," said Flight.

A legal brief sent to national and local officials is now being considered by the Conservative Party, though officials insist there is no doubt about the outcome of the current situation.

Decision

Activists "must be given their legal right" to decide the way forward, Flight said after seeking the legal opinion.

The MP said he accepted that some local members would want to see his Westminster career ended.

"It always was my understanding, which has now been confirmed, that it is they that
should decide," he said.

"And I'm sure that many of them will feel, whatever they may think of me personally, that I shouldn't stay.

"But they must be given their legal right to do so, and I abide by their decision."

Flight also confirmed a letter had been written to the Times in which the newspaper is accused of misreporting his comments at a recent dinner.

The latest exchange came after Howard repeated his insistence that Flight's sacking from the parliamentary party meant he could not contest the forthcoming general election.

Sympathy

Flight said he "felt sympathy" for the Conservative leader and suggested a Labour smear effort had caused the situation.

Howard had earlier rejected suggestions there was a stalemate over his decision to oust Flight as a Conservative MP.

Flight has been demanding a meeting of local constituency party members to make a decision on whether he should be able to stand at the next election.

At that meeting, Flight said local Tories should be given the opportunity to determine his future.

Flight's local supporters say they now have enough signatures on a petition to force a meeting to discuss his candidacy.

But Russell Tanguay, local party agent, said Flight was ineligible to be a candidate and therefore the association would be meeting to adopt an alternative.

No deadlock

The Conservative leader on Tuesday rejected suggestions that the situation in the constituency was deadlocked.

"The way we do things in the Conservative Party is set out in our constitution and the rules, and everything I have done is in accordance with the constitution and the rules," Howard told a press conference.

"The rules and the constitution are very clear, and we act in accordance with the rules and the constitution so there is no question of a stalemate."

Howard again defended his decision to withdraw the whip from Flight and remove him from the approved list of Tory candidates.

"The fundamental point here is that this is about accountability and responsibility," said the Conservative chief.

"We won't promise one thing before an election and do something else after an election.

"We won't say one thing in private and another in public, and if you really believe in honesty you have to act on it."