So Derek did lie. His Reply

It seems that Derek Wyatt did lie and he has admitted that in this
----- Original Message -----
From: WYATT, Derek
To: gordon.henderson3@tesco.net
Cc: CAMERON, David ; paul.carter@kent.gov.uk ; leader@swale.gov.uk
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 11:54 AM
Subject: A reply to your open email letter

Dear Gordon,
I acknowledge receipt of your letter concerning housing development
and the KSP proposals.

I have had some difficulty with interpreting exactly what you meant
in a recent statement about your two "major" differences with 5POG and
in particular to "some members of 5POG appear to believe that the
answer of solving the problem of delivering the number of houses
imposed on Swale by the Government is to put them on Sheppey." Of
course, you know that any housing development in the KSP area would
have nothing to do with "Government numbers" and would only go
forward because KSP have been encouraged by colleagues in your party
to regard their ambitions as key regeneration objectives.

However, your remarks do raise some interesting issues, firstly why
a parliamentary candidate should want to set one part of the
constituency against another, but secondly as a friend of 5POG I
would like you to make public what evidence you have for making such
remarks about any of the Group.

A reasonable interpretation by any independent reader would be that
you have a lower tolerance level for housing development in the
Bapchild and Tunstall area than you have for Sheppey. However if you
are prepared to say that you cannot envisage any circumstances in
which you would support any housing development of any kind in line
with the KSP proposals, then I would welcome that.

Moreover if you (along with other Conservatives) want to reserve the
right to support an A2/M2 link road, something with which I
disagree, then it would be most welcome if you could state
categorically that you would never support the route proposed by KSP.

It is the Conservatives' lack of clarity on the road, plus the
positions taken by the Conservative Leadership on KCC about the role
of KSP in County Regeneration aims, plus the position of
Conservative controlled Swale, that makes it clear that there is a
divide between the Conservatives on the one hand and the 5POG and
myself on the other.

It does seem to us in the Labour Party that you frequently seek to
isolate yourself from the consequences of decisions made by your
elected colleagues in local government. You must surely be aware that
Paul Carter has said openly in full Council Chamber at KCC that Kent
Science Park is a key part of the Conservative administration's
regeneration policy. You will be aware that the Leader of Swale
Council is also a Conservative County Councillor, is therefore signed
up to this policy, and certainly does not publicly disagree with Mr
Carter on the KSP issue. You will surely have seen press coverage of
visits by Mr Carter and Mr Bowles to Kent Science Park and the
supportive comments they are reported to have made.

You must surely be aware of the Economic Policy position of the
Conservative administration on Swale Borough Council too, which also
gives key priority support to KSP.

It is absolutely absurd for you and other Conservatives to pretend
that the vaulting ambitions of the KSP proposals have nothing to do
with signals given by leading Conservatives in local government.

Your position on this seems a little akin to the Sheppey education
issue, where you seek to attack the decisions and actions of the
Conservative administration at KCC, but imply that they are not really
in control and that the officers should take the blame. You will know
too that we have noted Mr Cameron's rebuke to you for supporting the
UKIP inspired BOO campaign. This was reported in the Daily Telegraph
and you have never sought to make any public comment on it.

However, you have asked me to withdraw the statement on my website
about a precise number of houses that you might support in the KSP
area, and so I have done so. (This is the apology for the lie)

I note that in your letter to me, you copied in a journalist on the
Kent Messenger Group. I wonder why you did not also include the East
Kent Gazette. However, I assume you want the press to be involved in this exchange
and so I will be releasing this reply to the local press and to David Cameron, Paul Carter
and Andrew Bowles.

Yours sincerely

Derek Wyatt MP