Election: High Court crushes Woolas hopes

Mr Woolas, who is banned from standing for election for three years, said there was no avenue open to him for a further challenge.

The former Minister said: "That is the end, I am out – which I think is unfair and, more importantly, my 70,000 voters will think it is unfair."

Three senior judges rejected his legal challenge against the November 5 decision of a specially convened election court declaring void the 2010 General Election result in Oldham East and Saddleworth.

In the first judgment of its kind in 99 years, the election court ruled that Mr Woolas was guilty of deliberately lying about Liberal Democrat rival Elwyn Watkins.

Later Mr Watkins welcomed the decision, declaring it "a victory for the people of Oldham and Saddleworth".

The election court judges found comments by Mr Woolas in election campaign statements clearly amounted to personal attacks on Mr Watkins.