Open letter to Councillor Mark Bowen, prospective parliamentary candidate for Feltham and Heston
LABOUR home secretary Alan Johnson wrote to your party leader, David Cameron, in November, questioning bogus Tory claims on violent crime, as the British Crime Survey shows violent crime down by 41 per cent since 1997.
Unfortunately, David Cameron did not bother to reply, but instead, on the release of recent crime statistics, once again claimed that violent crime is rising 'significantly'.
Conservative central office has admitted it was comparing statistics which it knows were calculated in completely different ways.
The BBC journalist who questioned David Cameron on this said: "It emerges that the only way the Conservative leader can back up his claims is to ignore the klaxon warning attached to the statistics, following changes in the way police record violent incidents in England and Wales."
Incredibly, in an interview on February 3, Chris Grayling, shadow home secretary, had the opportunity to come clean and put the record straight, but instead admitted he is fully aware of the change in the way the statistics are calculated - then refused to agree to tell Tory candidates and parties to stop using these bogus statistics.
David Cameron has demonstrated he cannot be trusted. In his new year message he said he wanted a clean fight, but he is deliberately misleading the public by using misleading crime statistics.
I am giving you the opportunity to be honest with voters in Feltham and Heston. Will you confirm that you will not use the statistics which the BBC has shown are misleading and inaccurate?
ALAN KEEN MP for Feltham and Heston
