Bolsover: Labour candidate Jerry Hague stands down

A solicitor who admitted professional misconduct over his firm's handling of miners' compensation claims has stood down as a Labour candidate.

Jerry Hague announced "with sadness" he would not be standing for the party in Bolsover, Derbyshire.

It came after the Times revealed Mr Hague had been fined £5,000 in 2010 after appearing before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.

Bolsover was held by former miner Dennis Skinner for 49 years.

The veteran politician - known as the Beast of Bolsover - lost his seat to the Conservatives in 2019.

It was one of several so-called "red wall" Labour constituencies in the Midlands and north of England to be won by Tories in Boris Johnson's landslide election victory.

The constituency includes many former pit communities which have struggled since the closure of the mines.

• How Dennis Skinner lost Bolsover after 49 years

Mr Hague was a partner at Graysons, a Sheffield law firm, which handled compensation claims against British Coal by former miners suffering from lung disease from breathing in coal dust and vibration white finger, a condition caused by working with vibrating machinery such as chain saws and drills.

In 1998, the firm agreed a deal with the National Union of Mineworkers that gave them access to potential clients - and was designed to ensure former miners and their families faced no liability if their compensation claim failed.

But clients also had to enter into a "funding agreement" with the NUM, which meant they had to pay a "fixed sum of money" to the union out of any compensation won, according to the tribunal findings, which have been seen by the BBC.

In 2010, Mr Hague was one of four Graysons solicitors to admit breaking conduct rules by failing to give clients adequate advice about costs and the "merits" of the NUM funding agreement.

The Labour Party is understood to have been unaware of Mr Hague's misconduct case during the candidate selection process and spoke to him after the details came to light.

The party is understood to agree he cannot remain as the candidate.

In a statement, Mr Hague said: "With sadness I am standing down as the Labour parliamentary candidate for the Bolsover constituency.

"It has been an honour to be selected by local party members and the decision I have come to is based upon the interests of the Labour Party.

"I would like to thank everyone for their support throughout my campaign and look forward to offering my backing to the Bolsover CLP [constituency Labour party] and the candidate it will go on to choose."

Conservative MP Mark Fletcher has represented Bolsover since the 2019 election.

Correction 22 December 2023: As a result of a complaint made by Mr Hague to the Times about the allegations in their article, the Times has now apologised to Mr Hague, paid him damages and withdrawn its article.