Election '97: Scargill to contest safe Labour seat

Arthur Scargill, leader of the Socialist Labour Party, announced last night that he will be standing against Alan Howarth in the South Wales constituency of Newport East. His decision to stand in this safe Labour seat will mean a direct clash between Mr Scargill's traditional old-style socialist party, and Tony Blair's "new" Labour.

His opponent is a former Conservative education minister, who defected to Labour in 1995. Mr Scargill, president of the National Union of Mineworkers, formed the SLP last year after what he describes as Labour's decision to "ditch its constitutional commitment to common ownership and abandon any pretence of being a socialist party". His party is fielding 65 candidates in the general election.