Former editor of The Sun newspaper Kelvin MacKenzie has backtracked on claims, made just 24-hours earlier, that his infamous "Hillsborough" story was the work of Liverpool journalists.
MacKenzie was in charge at The Sun when it ran a front page story in the wake of the 1989 tragedy, claiming Liverpool fans had picked their fellow supporters' dead bodies.
On the BBC's Daily Politics show yesterday he defended his part in the story, insisting it came from a Liverpool news agency and was written by "Liverpool journalists".
That allegation was met with fury by Chris Johnson, the managing director of Liverpool's largest Press Agency, Mercury Press who was today consulting lawyers over the matter.
But in an embarrassing u-turn MacKenzie has now admitted the assertion he made yesterday was wrong, instead shifting the blame to a Sheffield source.
MacKenzie said: "Having just checked with the Sun's news editor at the time, it is clear that the story didn't come from the Liverpool agencies but came from agencies in the Sheffield area.
"I apologise for getting it wrong but it was 21 years ago."
Mr Johnson responded to the apology saying he was unsurprised at MacKenzie's gaffe and that he managed to "misremember" such important facts, was typically arrogant mistake.
Mr Johnson said: "I'm not surprised whatsoever that MacKenzie has come out to apologise just a day after making his absurd claim.
"He thinks he can just sweep it aside as yet another careless blunder. Once again he has underestimated the people who live and work in this great city.
"To think he could absent-mindedly shift the blame back onto Liverpool journalists just shows the arrogance of the man.
"He claims he 'misremembered' the facts of his error, which still cause the people of Liverpool pain.
"I can tell him that the wounds of that story still run deep in this city, and the people who were affected by it will not be misremembering his part in it any time soon."
Ray, London around 5 months, 2 weeks ago