THREE veteran North-East MPs yesterday quashed rumours of their impending retirements by saying they would stand to retain their Labour seats in the forthcoming General Election.

Stockton North MP Frank Cook, 69, Middlesbrough MP Sir Stuart Bell, 65, and Easington MP John Cummings, 61, all said that they had no intention of standing down.

Mr Cook, with a majority of 14,647, said: "There is no ground at all for these rumours. My name will go ahead as a prospective Labour Party candidate."

Sir Stuart, with a 16,330 majority, said: "I've every intention of standing. As far as I'm concerned, there is still a huge amount of work to be done and I want to be part of that."

Mr Cummings, who has a majority of 21,949, said: "I have no intention of doing any shady deals to pave the way for some aspiring London-based candidate to be parachuted into this constituency."

The Labour Party conference in Gateshead last weekend was alive with rumours that at least one of the three might join Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster in retirement.

Yesterday, former North-East MEP Mo O'Toole confirmed she would like to be on the all-women shortlist to succeed Mr Foster.

Others running are opera singer Suzannah Clarke, Darlington councillor Cyndi Hughes and former Europe candidate Joanne Thompson.

Speculation surrounds the Downing Street advisor Liz Lloyd. Others mentioned include Margaret Meling, a union representative on the North-East Assembly, and Fay Tinnion who stood in William Hague's Richmond constituency in 2001.