One of Britain’s most senior Tories has called for the home secretary to apologise after claims he called Stockton North a “s***hole”.
Ben Houchen, Tees Valley mayor, accused James Cleverly of using “childish and unprofessional language” to describe the constituency, which sits on his patch.
Mr Houchen, a rising star in the Conservative Party, said he “will always put our area above party politics” and “the home secretary should apologise for dragging Stockton’s name through the mud”.
Labour MP Alex Cunningham, who represents Stockton North, alleged Mr Cleverly made the “s***hole” remark in response to his question at PMQs about child poverty in the area.
Mr Cleverly has denied the claim and a spokesman said he was “disappointed people would accuse him of doing so”.
But a source close to Mr Cleverly mounted a remarkable defence of the home secretary on Thursday, claiming that while did not call Stockton a “s***hole”, he instead said that Mr Cunningham was a “s*** MP”.
The source added: “He apologises for unparliamentary language. As was made clear yesterday, he would never criticise Stockton. He has campaigned in Stockton and is clear that it is a great place.”
It is the second time in his two weeks as home secretary that Mr Cleverly has faced a similar allegation. A week ago he refused to deny having described Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as “bats***”.
In a blistering blue-on-blue attack on Thursday, Mr Houchen said: “I’m not interested in excuses and I will always put our area above party politics, and it is clear to me that the Home Secretary should apologise for dragging Stockton’s name through the mud.
“Having made huge progress in recent years with major investment, thousands of jobs and Teesside forging a brighter future in the industries of the future including a new era of steelmaking, this type of language only furthers the outdated and inaccurate stereotypes we’ve battled for years.
“We’re a wonderful place and a passionate and proud community, and people across the world are looking at the exciting future that is emerging before us – but childish and unprofessional language used by Westminster politicians, who should know better, does nothing to help our plans for progress.”
The row was reignited on Thursday when The Independent revealed Mr Cunningham had invited Mr Cleverly to visit his constituency.
Shadow courts minister Mr Cunningham said: “I will show him our conservation areas, our ambition for Stockton, Billingham and elsewhere and have him visit our cultural quarter and our huge industrial base.
“But I will also show him the communities where 34 per cent of children live in poverty – the damage done by his government’s policies and finish at North Tees hospital which needed replacing over a decade ago.”
Mr Cunningham added that the home secretary had “shamed himself”. He added: “That a cabinet member would have such a disgraceful and foul-mouthed attack on my community beggars belief. He is unfit for such high office.”
