Re-instatement
In December 2008, Howes expulsion was reversed and he was reinstated two days before his appeal was due to be heard by the Labour Party's National Executive Committee (NEC). He was selected as the official Labour candidate for a Northampton Borough Council by-election to be held 22 January 2009. However, no official announcement was made by the local party on the status of Clarke or the other two candidates, Evans and Dickie, previously expelled. Dickie was Clarke's election agent at the 2010 General Election where Clarke came a distant fourth with just 5.8% of the vote, barely saving his deposit. Dickie cites the failure was due to a professional Conservative campaign, people voting along traditional lines and the televised debates between the three main party leaders. Clarke was fortunate to secure enough votes to keep his deposit, unlike most independents across the UK, on a poor night for non-aligned candidates.
Read more about this topic: Tony Clarke (British Politician)