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MP takes a hard line on bogus letter writer
Adam Derbyshire13/ 2/2008
A CONSTITUENCY worker who wrote a bogus letter to The Advertiser has been suspended by MP James Purnell.
Political aide Mike Doherty wrote to criticise Tory leader Councillor John Bell for comments he made about Labour hopeful Claire Francis at Hyde’s district assembly. As she was about to ask a question, Councillor Bell was heard to remark: "Here’s Miss Pushy."
Mr Doherty wrote to express his disgust at the comments, calling for Mr Bell to make a "public apology for his act of immaturity".
But crucially Mr Doherty concocted a story that he was a resident of Foxholes Road, Werneth, instead of admitting he was an employee of Mr Purnell’s based in his Hyde town hall office.
Eagle-eyed Conservative councillors in the area checked the electoral roll and discovered nobody with the name Mike Doherty lives on Foxholes Road.
Already embarrassed by last year’s fake photo row when he was digitally added to a photoshoot at Tameside Hospital after turning up late, Mr Purnell has taken a hard-line stance against Mr Doherty and suspended him pending disciplinary action.
A spokesman for the pensions secretary said: "Mike wrote this letter in his own time, as a local activist, not as part of his work for James. He did not consult James, and James had absolutely no knowledge of it.
"It was clearly a mistake. It is unacceptable to use the wrong address as Mike did.
"He understands the mistake he made and has offered his apologies to the local paper and James. He has been suspended pending disciplinary action."
When confronted by the Advertiser last week, Mr Doherty admitted writing the bogus letter.
He said: "I apologise for doing this. I wrote the letter in my own time out of sheer frustration as I could not believe that Councillor Bell made such a comment in a public forum.
"I realise that this was the wrong thing to do."
Most recent 2 of 2 user comments
If Doherty is to face the axe, then why not the rest of his staff who have been found to have been doing the same?
14/02/2008 at 01:01
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