THE council leader says the MP for Warrington North ‘protests too much’ in the furore surrounding the potential new prison for the town.

Councillor Ian Marks dismissed MP Helen Jones’s remarks that he was ‘living in la-la land’ after he called for Warrington’s two MPs to support the borough council in opposing the government’s proposals for a new jail.

Their row follows a letter sent to the council leader on October 30 from the Ministry of Justice advising councillors of a fresh trawl for prison sites in the region.

Mrs Jones said last week that she could confirm there would be no further prisons for Warrington and that the Lib Dems raising this issue again was only damaging the town.

But Clr Marks said: “Instead of confirming that she would work with residents and the council to stop a prison coming here, we just get a torrent of abuse in the media from one MP.

“The problem is that the MP knows that the days of her government being in power are numbered and come the general election there will not be two Labour MPs for Warrington.

“She reminds me of a statement from the Justice Secretary Jack Straw last April that there will not be a prison on Omega. I am well aware of this but governments, in particular this one, have been known to do U-turns.

“His statement applies to Omega only, but our question to her covered all potential sites in the borough. She has not answered this point, nor has she told us why her government is writing to us if we are no longer at risk.”

He added: “She did receive a letter dated early November from Maria Eagle, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, confirming only that Omega would not be considered.

“I assume this latest letter was prompted by a recent approach by the MP to the Ministry – so much for her confidence in Jack Straw’s earlier statement.

“Her press release states that the letter came from the Justice Minister Angela Eagle. Sorry Ms Jones this is wrong. There are two MP sisters, Maria and Angela, and you have mixed them up.

“The people of Warrington deserve more co-operation from their MPs than we have been used to in recent years. All Warrington gets from the MP is negative publicity.”