Twitter message sparks fiery election battle in Edgbaston
A controversial question on Twitter, a row over copyright, angry claims of a smear campaign. The General Election fight in Edgbaston – Birmingham’s most marginal constituency – is hotting up, writes Public Affairs Correspondent Paul Dale
It started with a loaded question about the financial affairs of Birmingham’s best know political clan – the Conservative Alden family.
Edgbaston Labour MP Gisela Stuart used the micro-blogging site Twitter to issue a comment which left her Tory General Election opponent Deirdre Alden seething.
The MP’s message suggested it was possible that Deirdre Alden, her husband John Alden and son Robert Alden, who are all city councillors, claimed a total of £150,000 in allowances and expenses from the public purse last year.
Mrs Stuart said she had been told this was the case by “someone on the phone”, and went on to ask people whether this could be true.
In fact, the actual figure was little more than £75,000 and Mrs Stuart was forced to issue a clarification on Twitter after being contacted by Birmingham City Council.
Her clarification, however, was interpreted by the Aldens as flippant in the extreme: “So glad to hear the man on the phone was wrong,” Mrs Stuart wrote.
The Aldens are demanding an apology, which the MP has so far refused to give.
Coun Deirdre Alden said: “She must have known it wasn’t true. The original figure she gave was grossly inflated.
“I think this says more about Mrs Stuart than it says about me. It was a bit of a dirty trick. The implication was that we had claimed a huge amount of money, which we hadn’t.
“There’s a saying that a dirty campaigner is a worried campaigner, which is certainly true in this case.”
Coun Alden added that she was particularly upset that Mrs Stuart had mentioned her son, Robert, who no longer lives at home.
“It was a particularly mean thing to do. Robert lives with his girlfriend and they have a joint mortgage. He’s nothing to do with me,” she added.
Coun Alden and Mrs Stuart are also involved in a bitter row over election material.
