Rogue conservative Howard Flight’s legal team should decide today (4 April) whether to issue an injunction against Michael Howard should he press on with moves to deselect the MP.
As exclusively revealed by www.thelawyer.com (31 March), Flight turned to Jones Day consultant and sole practitioner David Cooper. Cooper, who received the instruction via Gouldens’ ex-senior partner Patrick Bur-gess, drafted in Matthew Horton QC of 39 Essex Street and junior Roger Evans (a Conservative MP) of Harcourt Chambers. The barristers’ opinion is that Howard’s move to take the whip from Flight is unconstitutional and unlawful.
On Friday (1 April), lawyers for the Conservatives – Penningtons partner Sue Dixon instructing Littleton Chambers’ Richard Price QC and Martyn Barklem – rejected this claim.
Cooper told The Lawyer he was seeking a second opinion from Horton and expects it to confirm their original position. If Flight is deselected he has three options: accept the decision; stand as an independent conservative candidate; or issue an injunction.
