Peter Tatchell condemns “gutter politics”

22-June-2006
Marc Shoffman

PinkNews.co.uk Exclusive
Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has accused an Independent candidate for next week’s Bromley and Chislehurst by-election of using “gutter politics” after his team raised questions regarding the sexuality of Conservative candidate Bob Neill.

The candidate, John Hemming-Clark said on his website, “Leaflets are dropping aplenty through the letter boxes of Bromley and Chislehurst with the main candidates extolling their married with children credentials.

“Except there is no such extolment from the Conservative Candidate. An email to Conservative Campaign HQ elicits no response. An email to Bob Neill's own campaign office elicits no response either. So I try the direct approach. One of my team collars
him on Saturday as he wanders up and down the High Street in Bromley. He's about to press a leaflet into their hand. "Are you gay?" they ask him. No reply and off he marches.

“They then ring his campaign team on Monday. ‘Is Bob Neill gay?’ they ask. ‘He has a partner,’ they reply, Male or female? ‘Female.’ But he can still be gay. Is
he gay?" No reply, just a giggle.”

He claimed it is the Bromley Conservatives who care whether Mr Neill is gay, referring to the controversy over Tory Party leader David Cameron’s A list of parliamentary candidates.

Mr Tatchell told PinkNews.co.uk: "Trying smear Bob Neill as gay is real gutter politics. Any candidate who uses homophobia to win votes is unfit for public office. A candidate's
sexuality or race is irrelevant. Politicians should be judged on their policies, not their private lives."

Mr Hemming Clark told PinkNews.co.uk, “To me it doesn’t matter, but the Conservatives obviously think it does.

“I’m just asking the question and haven’t got an answer.”

Mr Neill, 53, has a partner, Daphne, and has represented the Bromley area as its Greater London Assembly member for the last six years

See the full report here: PinkNews