Mayor alleges dirty tricks campaign after naked image claim
An elected mayor has refused to resign over an allegation that he had an image of a naked woman on his laptop, saying he is the victim of a âdirty tricksâ campaign.
Middlesbroughâs Independent mayor, Andy Preston, said his conscience is clear and he has nothing to hide, following an official complaint by local Labour MP Andy McDonald.
Middlesbrough Council is carrying out an inquiry into the claims.
Writing on Facebook, Mr Preston claimed: âSinister things are happening to try and force me to resign.
âThat wonât happen because Iâm 100% committed to shaking up the way this town works.
âThis latest plot to try to discredit me is the lowest so far.â
The Bizarre Truth Behind Andy McDonald's ComplaintSinister things are happening to try and force me to resign. ThatâŠ
Posted by Tees Issues by Andy Preston on Friday, November 27, 2020
Mr Preston said he has gone public with his side of the story as he has ânothing to hideâ.
He added: âIt will give people an inkling of the dirty tricks and twisted underhand tactics that seems to be the accepted norm of politics in Middlesbrough.
âFirst and foremost, I have never and will never be so stupid as to view inappropriate material in a work environment.â
The mayor, a former hedge fund manager, claimed the alleged event happened around a year ago when he was out of the office and that he was not told about it at the time.
He said an anonymous letter was recently sent to his deputy, saying there is a political plot against the mayor, and it referred to inappropriate material on this computer screen.
Mr Preston said he spoke to the councilâs chief executive, who told him this might be a reference to a âGIF-likeâ image seen on Mr Prestonâs laptop when he was at a meeting many miles from the office.
Mr Preston said: âHe said it was the kind of thing that could be seen in newspapers.
âHe told me he asked a member of staff to remove the image before I came back to the office.
âNot only did I never see any such image; this alleged incident from about a year ago was never mentioned to me by anyone and was never reported or recorded as being any kind of issue â until just four weeks ago.â
Mr Preston said the councilâs most senior legal officer looked into it and decided no further action was needed.
He claimed that details were then leaked to Mr McDonald, adding: âItâs fair to say we donât get on.â
The mayor said the MP then made a formal complaint about the matter and told the media about it.
He said: âIt is a painful and difficult experience for me and my family to have such allegations and slurs directed towards me when I canât even defend myself because I wasnât there and didnât see any such image.
âI have no idea how the alleged image ever appeared but I know that I have done absolutely nothing wrong.â
In October, Mr Preston made headlines when he said Middlesbrough would âdefyâ the Tier 2 lockdown measures after they were announced.
He also created waves when he shut the townâs parks during the first lockdown â against government advice â and it was pointed out by some that he was a millionaire living on a country estate.
Mr McDonald said: âThere is a formal investigative process under way and I trust Mr Preston will fully co-operate with it so that this matter can be brought to a conclusion.â