Sorry about the delay in replying to this but we were investigating this issue after your complaint. Obviously we would never condone such an activity, and it’s very difficult to be aware of every word or speech that has ever been written.

It’s also important to realise that the Mayor’s words are not written by him personally, but by a speechwriter. The said speech writer, on investigation, indicated that in her opinion, the content of speeches which reflected party policy were “interchangeable.” We obviously disagree with this entirely and distance ourselves from plagiarism in any form.

We have spoken to the writer in the strongest terms and are assured that this will not occur again in future. Regrettably, new age media like the internet make plagiarism very difficult to control as material can simply be lifted from A to B, and it’s done by everyone from kids doing homework to writers.

We again distance ourselves from this behaviour and ask that you accept our apologies

Regards