Businessman Wayne Brown has withdrawn from tonight's Herald mayoral debate because of the journalist who is hosting it.
Brown was originally scheduled to appear alongside rivals Efeso Collins and Viv Beck but his campaign team said last night that he no longer wished to participate.
Brown's campaign chair Chris Matthews said he believed Herald senior journalist Simon Wilson, who is moderating the debate, could not be seen as a "neutral or independent" host.
"[Wilson] has a clear set of opinions on the future direction of the city and measures others against that vision," Matthews said in a statement.