'Vindicated' MP wins damages from Guardian

JOJO MOYES

The Labour MP George Howarth yesterday settled his libel action against the Guardian newspaper over an article which he said labelled him a "boorish, foul-mouthed and uncivilised drunkard".

The shadow home affairs minister, who has represented Knowsley North since 1986, received a "substantial five-figure sum" for distress caused to him by a parliamentary sketch by Simon Hoggart published in February 1995.

In the sketch, Mr Hoggart recounted a story told to him by journalist Fritz Spiegl, who said Mr Howarth had bumped into him in Soho one day in September 1993 and had mouthed expletives at him rather than apologising.

The MP's counsel, Michael Tugendhat QC, told Mr Justice French that Guardian Newspapers Ltd were happy to accept that "whoever was involved in that incident, it was not Mr Howarth".

On the second day of the contested High Court hearing, the jury was discharged after an agreed statement was read out in open court, following an hour of legal discussion. The newspaper said it regretted the "offensive allegations" made in the article and expressed sincere apologies for the distress caused. It agreed to pay appropriate damages to Mr Howarth and full legal costs.

Afterwards, Mr Howarth, 46, who had said in evidence that he had never met Mr Spiegl and was only in London once that month to attend a press conference, said he was satisfied with the settlement.

"The agreement which has been reached entirely vindicates me," he said. His lawyers confirmed that the costs of the action were under pounds 100,000.

Guardian Newspapers Ltd had denied libel and said the story did not bear the meaning alleged by Mr Howarth. But if it did, they claimed it was true and cited three incidents which, they said, supported their case: when Mr Howarth joked during a parliamentary debate on housing that he was reminded of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor's comments on the condom - that it all depended on what was in it for her; when he wrote to journalist Edward Pearce defending the people of Liverpool and added: PS: "**** off" in a bid "to lighten the tone"; and when he was accused of striking journalist Alan Cochran in the Strangers Bar of the House of Commons. Mr Howarth said in his evidence that he had raised his arm to defend himself from a "drunken lunge" by Mr Cochran.

David Eady QC, representing Express Newspapers, said that he wished to make it clear on Mr Cochran's behalf that the allegations made against him were denied. Mr Tugendhat replied that Mr Howarth stood by his evidence.