News David Davis resigns
Howden MP David Davis is facing a barrage of criticism from both sides of the political divide after announcing his resignation as and MP and Shadow Home Secretary.
The outspoken Tory MP resigned from office last week in protest at the new 42-day terror detention limit.
Mr Davis claims the new power to detain terror suspects without charge for up to 42 days is an infringement of civil liberties.
The former Tory party chairman (59) will now fight a by-election on July 10 in his Howden & Haltemprice constituency on the single issue of the new detention powers.
And, if a recent snap survey of the Howden & Haltemprice constituency is anything to go by, it seems Mr Davis's gamble with his political future will pay off.
The survey, carried out by ICM, showed that 57 per cent of his constituents thought Mr Davis was right to force a by-election, and 69 per cent thought it was a principled decision.
However, dissenting voices are beginning to emerge even within the Tory party.
Local Tory party member and former Hook parish councillor Laurence De Donges Amis labelled Mr Davis's resignation a "silly publicity stunt".
He claimed one of the main reasons for Mr Davis's decision was the widening chasm that had opened up between the former Shadow Home Secretary and Tory leader David Cameron.
Mr De Donges Amis questioned whether the Howden constituency would want Mr Davis re-selected, adding: "There has always been a split - Cameron and Davis are fundamental antipodes. There is a common and widely-held perception that a relationship between these two stalwarts of politics is unworkable."
He went on: "Davis is pulling off a rather silly publicity stunt, which in my and many other people's view, can only damage us within the party and most certainly in the perception the public have of us.
"Where does he find his arrogance to announce that he will be standing again? Will the members of the party and constituents of Howden and Haltemprice actually want him again? I have my doubts, especially in view of the fact that we are now in the unfortunate position of wasting an enormous amount of money on a by-election, which nobody wants or needs."
Mr De Donges Amis claimed Mr Davis's resignation was a "rather silly and childish exercise in democracy to bolster the ego of a has-been politician".
Goole's Labour MP Ian Cawsey also questioned why taxpayers should be left to foot the bill for a by-election.
He said: "Why is it reasonable for the taxpayer to be left with a big bill for an election that isn't necessary and on an issue he could simply have stood on at the next election anyway?"
Mr Cawsey also questioned why Mr Davis had taken such a stance on the pre-charge terror powers.
"I can't understand why he thinks the rights of terrorist suspects in exceptional circumstances of national security are more important than human rights for all British people and equal rights for gay people - both of which he voted against - or how he could support Section 28, and then be against it being repealed, which effectively legalised discrimination against gay people, and then also support certain anti-terrorism measures in Northern Ireland. There appears to be a level of inconsistency in his record."
Despite the criticism, it's thought that Mr Davis - who came runner-up to David Cameron in the 2005 Tory leadership contest - will win a landslide victory.
In the 2005 General Election Mr Davis won with a majority of 5,116, having received at 22,792 votes - 47.5 per cent of the turn-out - compared with Lib Dem John Neal, his nearest contenders, who notched up 17, 676.
Recent polls have indicated that 67 per cent of the Howden and Haltemprice electorate would vote for the former MP.
His standing as hot favourite was emphasised this week when it was anounced that Kelvin McKenzie, the right-wing former editor of The Sun, had ditched plans to contest the seat following comments he had reportedly made about Hull - whose suburbs include parts of the Haltemprice constituency - being a "shocker" of a city.
McKenzie's withdrawal leaves a ragtag and bobtail list of candidates including Mad Cow Girl from the Monster Raving Loony Party - real name Rosalyn Warner, a nurse who contested the Sunderland South constituency in 2005 - Gemma Garret, this year's Miss Great Britain; Ronnie Carroll of Make Politicans History, who was the British entrant in the 1962 and 1963 Eurovision Song Contest; Hamish Howitt, a Blackpool publican who, in 2007, was prosecuted for allowing his customers to smoke in his pub; independent David Craig; George Georgiou, who is standing as (Generalist) Artist; fruit-and-veg market trader Eammon Fitzpatrick from Northampton; and indepedent Ken Mitchell.
Yesterday the English Democrats - who brand themselves as an English equivalent of the Scottish National Party or Plaid Cymru in Wales - announced they also intend to field a candidate.
Joanne Robinson, who lives in Willerby, has been chosen as the party's candidate.
In 2005 Ms Robinson stood in the local elections for the Tranby ward and received almost 19 per cent of the vote, beating a Labour and Tory candidate.
In the meantime, Mr Davis has written to all his constituents explaining why he resigned and forced the by-election.
He said this week: "I know some of my constituents reading the Goole Times will have been shocked by what I have done, but I decided that I had to take a stand against the constant erosion of civil liberties by this Labour Government.
"The 42 days issue was more about Labour trying to look tough whilst at the same time grabbing more power for the Government than it was about anything else. I want terrorists caught and dealt with by the judicial system and locked away for a very, very long time. My action is not about terrorists; it is about protecting the liberty and freedom of ordinary, law-abiding people.
"We have seen in the past few years an explosion of petty officialdom and Government-sanctioned snooping into the lives of innocent citizens.
"I decided somebody had to take a stand, even if that meant I had to sacrifice my own political career. There are some issues more important than personal position and I hope that the people of Howden and Haltemprice will support me in defending our ancient freedoms and liberties."
Mr Davis accused prime minister Gordon Brown of "gutlessness" in failing to put up a Labour canddiate to fight the by-election.
"If he was really serious about justifying his relentless assault on British liberty, why doesn't he have the courage of his convictions and put up a candidate for the forthcoming by-election?" he said.
Prospective Goole MP Andrew Percy said: "In an age when politicians seem obsessed with little more than cheap photo opportunities, David has shown that he is prepared to stand on his principles."
East Riding Tory councillor Caroline Fox said her party would be loyal to Mr Davis. "He's such a good MP and deservedly popular," she said. "This principled decision will increase the respect."
Even some Labour MPs have joined the Davis bandwagon and the Government is having to face up to a possible backbench rebellion over the detention powers.
Labour MPs Bob Marshall-Andrews and Ian Gibson have already risked expulsion from their own party by voicing their support for Mr Davis at the by-election.
Even former opponents - most notably Scottish Nationalist MP Angus MacNeil - are backing him back in his test of public opinion on 42-day detention.
Published on 19th June 2008 in News.
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