John Marek has high hopes of beating Labour

Dr Marek made history in May 2003 when he became the first independent to gain a seat in the Welsh assembly by taking the Wrexham seat.

Around 70 people turned up to a special get-together in the town on Saturday to discuss in forming a new party to challenge Labour.

Dr Marek - who has represented Wrexham as an MP and AM for 20 years - hung onto his seat despite leaving the Labour party following a reselection battle.

Many thought that Wrexham would be a guaranteed seat for Labour, but Dr Marek's long affiliation with the county worked in his favour.

He has been talking about setting up his own party for some time, and Saturday's event at the Miners Institute in Grosvenor Road is the first significant step forward in the bid to challenge Welsh Labour.

The assembly's deputy presiding officer became an independent AM after defeating his former party, Labour, in the elections on 1 May.

He first set up the John Marek Independent Party and he now intends to form another "socialist" party and field candidates in parts of Wales in the 2004 local elections.

Dr Marek said he was confident that candidates representing the new party would stand in Wrexham.

"The party would be sensible left of centre, more like the traditional Labour Party," he said.

It may be the Welsh Socialist Party, but there have been other suggestions that don't include the word socialist Tommy Sheridan Scottish Socialist Party

"It would be in a different political spectrum to what's currently on offer, less committed to spin doctoring, cronyism and control."

After leaving the Labour Party, Dr Marek said he witnessed a general dissatisfaction with their policies.

The "summer gathering" - as the meeting is being called - will be addressed by Tommy Sheridan, the leader of the Scottish Socialist Party.

Dr Marek said that a name for the new party had still to be decided.

"It's up for grabs," he said.

"It may be the Welsh Socialist Party, but there have been other suggestions that don't include the word 'socialist'."

"This is a gathering of the disaffected, led by a man acting on pique not principle," said a Welsh Labour spokeswoman.

"John Marek was quite happy to be a Labour AM and campaigned hard to be a Labour candidate fighting on Labour's policies.

"Then his local party rejected him and he put his career first, saying whatever he needed to say to get votes as an Independent.

"Now he is looking for an ideology to justify his actions.

"The people of Wrexham need to know whether his priority is to represent them as an Independent or to please his hard-left friends."