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Editor stands by story in wake of council attack

A weekly newspaper editor is standing by a front page story in the face of a ferocious attack by the local council leader.

Last week’s Thurrock Gazette ran an exclusive front page suggesting Labour and the Tories were planning to join forces in an anti-UKIP grand coalition after Nigel Farage’s party won six council seats in the local elections.

Labour council leader John Kent, and Tory leader Rob Gledhill quickly responded, claiming that the story was untrue, and had damaged the political standing of both parties in the area.

However, the Gazette stood by its story and its editor Gary Pearson, left, went on Twitter to post the message: “Haha. Now come on @Johngkent you know the real truth.”

A further story on the Gazette website then related how Coun Kent had pulled out of a meeting with the Tories in the wake of the publication of the Thurrock Gazette story.

Coun Kent has now released a full statement criticising both the paper and its editor.

He said: “Following inaccurate and misleading stories in the Thurrock Gazette and allegations on social media, I feel I should put my comments in writing – that way my statements cannot be twisted by those who seem hell-bent on ruining any chance Thurrock Council has of continuing the borough’s moves toward a better future.

“I received a request from a senior conservative member on Tuesday asking for a meeting. I was not prepared to meet until after I had the opportunity to properly consider what we, as a Labour group, wanted to see but was – initially – happy to agree to a meeting on Friday afternoon.

“However then the Gazette published its first story online and in my conversation with the reporter I was told it came from a senior Conservative source – I still don’t know if it was a councillor or an MP.

“Following that I thought it best if I cancelled my planned meeting as the inaccuracies and innuendo in that first story – the one they plastered over their front page – made it impossible for any constructive discussions to take place for some days.

“Then came the Twitter rubbish when the editor of the Gazette effectively accused me of lying, further stirring up the mud at the bottom of the pool.

“On Friday I answered a call from the Gazette where I tried to explain the above. Unfortunately the reporter obviously has his own agenda, and again he refused to accept the simple answer and decided instead to believe in a complex conspiracy.”

Gary has declined to comment further on the row.

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