SUBSTITUTE Mayor Cllr Eric Johnson was accused of foul play for an outburst during last night's Bolton Council meeting.

The Mayor is not allowed to join in political debates during his year in office.

But Labour Cllr Johnson caused uproar for defending Prime Minister Tony Blair from the official Mayoral chair.

Deputy Mayor Cllr Johnson was standing in for the Mayor Cllr Peter Birch who was ill.

As Mayor last year, Cllr Johnson, known as a fiery orator, has had to maintain a vow of silence for 12 months.

But he could contain himself no longer when Liberal Democrat Bob Ronson quoted Mr Blair on a complex issue about local government finance.

Outraged Cllr Johnson leapt out of his chair and accused Cllr Ronson of "trying to bend the truth."

Cllr Ronson said that he was "out of order" for speaking while he was acting as Mayor.

A livid Cllr Johnson hit back: "I am not the Mayor, I am the deputy Mayor and I can say what I want."

The storm erupted during a debate on how the new Labour Government would treat local councils such as Bolton.

The council voted to write to the town's MPs urging them to lobby Ministers for more cash for local authorities to spend on vital services.

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