EDMUND Critchley (Letters, June 18) is quite wrong to suspect an attempt to mislead voters by sitting MEPs styling themselves 'MEP' on the ballot paper for the European elections.

It is simply that different parliaments have different rules. In Westminster when a general election is called and the house rises, all MPs cease to be MPs.

This is not so in Strasbourg, where MEPs continue until the new parliament meets, in this case on July 20. This means that all sitting MEPs, including the two pro European Tories, were entitled to, and did, use the title MEP on the ballot paper.

It also means someone like myself who chose not to stand can still sign himself MEP until that date.

In addition, I had announced that I was not standing before the announcement of proportional representation and the introduction of the New Labour selection procedure, which scotches the notion put about by anonymous hacks that I did not stand because I felt I would not be selected.

I have no doubt that the New Labour apparatchiks, who incidentally must now bear full blame for Labour's worst-ever vote in a Euro election, would have moved hell and high water to prevent me being on the list and probably succeeded, but that is another matter.

Sorry to spoil the line you have been running, but in my case "spending more time with the family" means that and nothing more.

MICHAEL HINDLEY MEP, Transport House, Abbey Street, Accrington.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.