WHITBY CONFRONTATION “RUBBISH” SAY COLLEAGUES

29-03-2007

A senior Birmingham councillor has rubbished allegations that Council leader Mike Whitby had to be restrained during a confrontation with local journalist David Bell during the Best of Broad Street awards on Tuesday.

It's been claimed on the messageboard of this website that Whitby “lost it” while subjecting Birmingham Mail reporter Bell to a “tirade of abuse”.

According to the anonymous poster - who identified themselves only as “Ultimate Stirrer” - Conservative party colleagues Ken Hardeman and Bruce Lines had to hold their leader back during the heated conversation.

Neither Whitby nor Bell were answering calls this afternoon, but both Hardeman (the Cabinet Member for Regeneration) and Lines (a Bartley Green councillor denied this version of events.

Hardeman - one of the most respected men in local politics - said “it's absolute rubbish.

“Mike was getting excited about the way the way the way the Mail is covering the mayoral referendum, and he was talking very loudly - but that's only because the music in the Hard Rock Café is very loud.

“I wasn't even sitting next to Mike at the time. He's got this view, and I share it, that the editor of the Birmingham Mail is biased towards the idea of a mayoral referendum and is making personal attacks.

“It wasn't an exchange of views. David and the other reporter just listened while Mike said that he couldn't understand why the Mail editor had chosen to personalise the issue. He never had to be restrained, I promise.”

Bruce Lines backed up this account saying: “Mike was a bit upset sitting there at the table, but there wasn't a punch thrown. He didn't physically touch David, and if he had done there were a lot of people around who would have seen it.