Tory mayor Houchen manufacturers Labour MP ‘liar and coward’ over Teesworks row
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distinguished Tory mayor has gone on air to model a Labour MP a “liar and a coward” in a row over a serious improvement venture.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen hit out at Middlesbrough MP Andy McDonald as their feud over the Teesworks scheme deepened.
Mr Houchen challenged the MP to repeat allegations of corruption within the scheme with out the safety of parliamentary privilege.
On BBC Radio 4’s World at One he stated: “Andy McDonald is a liar and he’s a coward.”
He added: “He would never repeat those accusations outside of Parliament because he is a liar.”
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has ordered an unbiased investigation into the Teesworks venture to redevelop Redcar’s former steelworks, partly in response to a request from Mr Houchen.
In April, Mr McDonald raised issues in regards to the scheme within the Commons, alleging “truly shocking, industrial-scale corruption” across the website’s possession and funding.
He stated the positioning acquired by the general public physique South Tees Developments Limited for £12 million in 2019 subsequently acquired tons of of thousands and thousands of kilos of taxpayer funding, however “private developers exercised their option to purchase for a mere £1 an acre plus inflation, paying £96.79 in December 2022”.
Mr Houchen informed the BBC: “The reason for the investigation is because Andy McDonald lied and said that there was corruption. He has no evidence, he’s produced no evidence, he didn’t even give any examples or evidence within Parliament.”
He stated the positioning was “never a public asset”, telling the BBC: “They had control of the site and they transferred 50% to us, as the public sector. There was no tender process because it was never owned by the public.”
Mr McDonald declined to repeat his corruption allegation when he adopted Mr Houchen onto the World at One.
Instead he stated: “Well, this doesn’t pass the smell test, any of it. There are so many elements to this that warrant very close scrutiny and investigation.”
Interrupted and requested if he would repeat the feedback exterior of Parliament, Mr McDonald replied: “Well, I’m quite happy to sit down with Ben and go through my concerns with him.”
Told that it was attention-grabbing he wouldn’t repeat the accusation when he doesn’t have authorized safety, Mr McDonald famous there can be an unbiased investigation which can “opine on these various elements”.
Pressed additional and requested if he made a mistake with the “corruption” allegation, Mr McDonald stated: “I think it’s absolutely right that these matters receive attention.”
Asked if his language was unsuitable, the MP stated: “I think it has gained attention for these very serious issues that have been raised by Private Eye and by the Financial Times and I think hitherto the Government has been quite happy to go along with the hard hats and promises approach of Ben Houchen and just say: ‘Nothing to see here.’
“There’s a great deal to see here.”