Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence


APPENDIX 42

Memorandum submitted by Mr Mihir Bose

Text of rebuttal by Mihir Bose of Remarks made by Mr Ken Bates, Chairman of Chelsea, to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on 1 March 2001

  "Mr Bates alleges that I have allowed myself to be used as a conduit by a Government Minister, Kate Hoey for the publication of stories intended to undermine the Wembley Project. Indeed, he singles me out as an "extreme" example of writing stories fed to me by Miss Hoey which are based on ignorance, and furthermore that I have written them without checking the facts at all. Both these allegations are very serious. They mean that I am no more than Miss Hoey's stooge and that as a sports journalist with a national newspaper, I am allowing myself to be manipulated. There is not a shred of truth in either of these allegations. They are baseless as Mr Bates should well know. Mr Bates has made these allegations without attempting to substantiate them with any evidence whatsoever and under the cloak of parliamentary privilege. He did so knowing that I would not be in a position to immediately refute them. His gratuitous and uncalled for attack on my credentials and bona fides is shameful and constitutes a grave assault on my professional integrity as an established, and experienced sports journalist.

  I am grateful to the Committee for this opportunity to rebut them."

March 2001


 
previous page contents

House of Commons home page Parliament home page House of Lords home page search page enquiries index

© Parliamentary copyright 2001
Prepared 3 April 2001