Tory Teesside mayor demands apology from James Cleverly as home secretary denies calling Stockton a 'sh**hole'
23 November 2023, 14:15
The Conservative mayor of the Tees Valley has called on James Cleverly to apologise for dragging "Stockton's name through the mud" after the home secretary denied calling it a "sh**hole".
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Ben Houchen hit out at "childish and unprofessional language used by Westminster politicians" as he said his area is a "wonderful place" with a "passionate and proud community".
Cleverly was accused of calling the Stockton North constituency - which sits within the Tees Valley - a "sh**hole" by Labour's Alex Cunningham.
He had asked Rishi Sunak why 34% of children there were living in poverty during Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions.
Microphones in the Commons picked up a response as Sunak got up to reply, which Cunningham said showed Cleverly insulting his constituency.
Cleverly denied using the insult and his spokesman said he was "disappointed" to have been accused of doing so.
Read more: James Cleverly denies calling Labour MP's Stockton constituency a 'sh**hole' in PMQs
But his fellow Tory, Houchen, tweeted on Thursday to demand an apology.
He said: "I'm not interested in excuses and I will always put our area above party politics, and it is clear to me that the home secretary should apologise for dragging Stockton's name through the mud.
"Having made huge progress in recent years with major investment, thousands of jobs and Teesside forging a brighter future in the industries of the future including a new era of steelmaking, this type of language only furthers the outdated and inaccurate stereotypes we've battled for years.
"We're a wonderful place and a passionate and proud community, and people across the world are looking at the exciting future that is emerging before us - but childish and unprofessional language used by Westminster politicians, who should know better, does nothing to help our plans for progress."
Cunningham had called on Cleverly to apologise on Wednesday.
"This comment shames the home secretary, the Government and his party and he should apologise," he posted to X.
In a point of order in the Commons after PMQs, Cunningham told MPs: "He was seen and heard to say 'because it's a sh**hole'. I know he is denying being the culprit, but the audio is clear and has been checked, and checked, and checked again.
"There is no doubt that these comments shame the home secretary, this rotten government, and the Tory Party. He is clearly unfit for his high office."
The speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, did not hear the comment. But his deputy, Dame Eleanor Laing, said she understood "the alleged words were not actually used".
A spokesman for Cleverly said on Wednesday: "He did not say that, and would not. He's disappointed people would accuse him of doing so."
