Former Newark MP Fiona Jones has been told that charges against four Nottinghamshire Police officers have been withdrawn.

The charges were brought after a lengthy investigation by the Police Complaints Authority decided that officers should face a disciplinary hearing for their part in an investigation into the journalist and former MP's election returns.

Fiona, elected MP for Newark in 1997, was convicted of making a false election expenses declaration, stripped of her seat, cleared on appeal and reinstated to the House of Commons. She lost her seat at the next General Election in the aftermath of the expenses investigation.

In August last year the complaints authority recommended to the Notts chief constable that four officers should be charged with falsehood and prevarication and neglect of duty, all breaches under the Police Code of Conduct.

Fiona, who previously worked at newspapers in Lincolnshire, is branding the latest development a "whitewash".

She said: "It is astonishing to realise that the Police's own lawyer has decided not to proceed after charges had been made a year ago.

"One of the reasons cited for not proceeding is that it is not in the public interest. It is my view that the activities of our police should be open to scrutiny so that we can have confidence in the police and in their integrity.

"In this case my complaint, which resulted in the original charges, related to officers going before a judge and gaining warrants under oath using information that was untrue."

The four officers involved, whilst not facing charges, could still face internal disciplinary action for their actions - and have not yet been cleared, as some reports suggest. Some officers have already been disciplined in relation to the matter.

A review of the procedures has been carried been out as a result of Fiona's complaint and the complaints authority investigation.

She added: "The whole system of the police investigating the police and then deciding on their own fate leaves the system open to criticism. It has been a whitewash."

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