LABOUR will not stand a candidate against the independent Councillor Jan Brown in Nascot Ward.

Chairman of Watford Labour Party Mike Jackson issued a statement supporting Councillor Brown's bid for re-election in May.

It praised her "brave and principled stand against the extreme policies of the Conservative Party".

He said: "The overwhelming Labour Party view is that they want Jan Brown to have a clear run against right wing extremism in the Tory party."

The decision clearly has pragmatic dimensions.

It frees up party campaigners, making them available for the mayoral election drive in areas more likely to vote Labour.

It is unlikely the Labour Party would have had any success in Nascot, traditionally a Conservative Ward.

And as the Browns feel they have little in common with the Tories, it would benefit Labour to have a sympathetic independent rather than a Conservative on the council.

This is particularly true given the present balance of power in the council, with the ruling Labour Party outnumbered by Liberal Democrats and Conservatives.

The Labour move also effectively helps keep open the wound caused when Councillor Brown and her husband Ian left the Tory Party last November.

It is still a sensitive issue among party members, and gives Labour endless ammunition on the issue of a shift to the right under Iain Duncan Smith.

The Browns accused the Tories of abandoning "moderate and sensible" one-nation Conservative principles, in exchange for "the lunatic fringe" when they left in November.

The repeated claims continue to infuriate Watford Tories, who are trying to rebuild the party after a shattering defeat in the General Election, when Claire Ward increased her majority.

During council debates, both the Liberal Democrats and Labour make political mileage out of the Browns departure.

But Liberal Democrats had rejected Councillor Jan Brown's call for them not to stand a candidate in Nascot.

She hoped it would be a straight fight between her and the Conservatives, which she could win based on strong resident association support.

The Liberal Democrats said not to field a candidate would deprive voters of their right to choice.

Labour's Mr Jackson rejected this argument.

He said: "We are not disenfranchising Labour voters. They will still have the opportunity for voting for the Labour candidate in the election for mayor."

He called on the Liberal Democrats to reconsider their position.

The open support of Councillor Jan Brown will add fuel to suspicions of a cosy relationship between them and Labour.

Councillor Ian Brown was made civic mayor in 2000 under unusual circumstances, given the delicate balance of power in Watford Council.

Councillor Brown has always utterly rejected as "lies" suggestions of impropriety and maintained there were "no strings attached" to the civic mayoralty.

March 5, 2002 16:30