AddThis SmartLayers

Second scoop for Reading

Reporters at the Reading Evening Post are celebrating a second John Prescott scoop.

On Friday the paper ran a Page One exclusive after the Deputy Prime Minister personally rang editor Andy Murrill to answer criticisms of his decisions on rail safety.

Yesterday, the paper ran a piece exclusively written for them by Mr Prescott.

In it he said: “I’ve been accused of a lot of things in my time as a politician but onething I’ve never been accused of is ducking an argument. But that’s not thereason why the coverage of my decisions last week on rail safety on the TV,radio and in the newspapers is so irritating.

“I’m a professional politician and I’ll take criticism like I always have -on the chin.

“What’s irritating is that the most important people in the whole debate onrail safety – the families of the victims and the survivors of the crashesat Southall and Paddington – are being misled by the media reporting ofcomplex issues they don’t or won’t understand. People like Alan Macro, who wrote so movingly in the Reading Evening Post on Thursday.

“Maybe not deliberately, maybe not wilfully. But the effect is the same. Theyhave been left with the impression that this Government – and me personally- have caved in to the vested interests of the rail industry.”

To keep the emotive debate going, the Reading Evening Post has asked readers to write to them with their views on the rail safety issue.

To read the full text of Mr Prescott’s article click here

Do you have a story for us?
Ring the HoldTheFrontPage newsdesk on
01332 291111 x6022, or e-mail us now