UNION bosses have withdrawn one dishonesty allegation against a Labour candidate who has sued them for libel.

Anna Turley – who was Labour MP for Redcar and hopes to regain the seat in the forthcoming General Election – is suing Unite and blogger Stephen Walker.

She says an April 2017 article on Mr Walker’s Skwawkbox blog, which contained a press statement from Unite, libelled her by conveying the meaning that she had acted dishonestly in submitting an application to join the union. She also says Unite misused her private information.

Unite bosses, and Mr Walker, are fighting the case and say Ms Turley has been dishonest and is not fit to be an MP.

They say the article was true or justified in the public interest.

A judge on Friday finished hearing evidence at a High Court trial in London.

Mr Justice Nicklin is due to hear final legal arguments from lawyers representing all sides on Tuesday.

A barrister representing Unite and Mr Walker has told the judge that Ms Turley’s dishonesty “permeates” the case.

Anthony Hudson QC said she had been willing to “conceal, mislead and deceive”.

Unite bosses had made one allegation relating to mail they said had been sent to Ms Turley.

They said Ms Turley had lied about not receiving some mail.

Mr Hudson told the judge on Friday that he had been instructed to withdraw that allegation.

The judge has heard that, in December 2016, Ms Turley applied to be a Unite member under a Community membership category.

He was told that Unite’s Community section is aimed at people not in paid employment.

Mr Hudson said Ms Turley would have known that the Community membership section is restricted to people not in paid employment.

He said she wanted to vote against Unite general secretary Len McCluskey in a union election without being noticed.

Ms Turley said she did join the union to vote against Mr McCluskey but had thought she could join the Unite section.

She said that, when a union official flagged the issue, she asked to be moved to another membership section.

“The article that Skwawkbox published about me on the 7th April 2017 was untrue and very upsetting,” Ms Turley told the judge.

“I had not dishonestly joined the Community section of Unite and there was no reason to suspect me of being dishonest.”

She added: “I believed I was entitled to join it.”

Ms Turley went on: “I am not dishonest and have not lied or sought to mislead. My reputation for honesty and integrity are of the utmost importance to me. They go to the root of who I am and why I am in public service.”