Deputy mayor was forced to quit after discrepancies in claims came to light
Boris Johnson faces a grilling by the London assembly over his role in authorising the expenses of his former deputy, Ian Clement, who was forced to quit after discrepancies in his claims came to light.
The mayor of London will take questions at his monthly session with the full assembly, but has been criticised for refusing to face more detailed questioning by the panel, which scrutinises the business management and administration of the Greater London authority.
Johnson sent another deputy, Sir Simon Milton, to face the BMac committee last month to shed light on how Clement managed to pass through expenses in breach of the policy on the use of credit cards and expenses for months without a formal challenge.
It emerged during the meeting that Milton was not in a position to answer most of the questions and that Johnson had been signing off the claims since March due to a change in the expenses policy.
It also emerged that Johnson had known since last August that Clement was one of seven people in the building to have a credit card because Johnson had ticked him off for using it for expensive upgrades for flights to Beijing at the time.
When allegations that Clement had misused his credit card first surfaced, Johnson’s office insisted that the mayor had not known his deputy possessed one. The deputy mayor was disciplined for using the card for personal items – later repaid – but Johnson refused to sack him.
Clement quit soon after, when further irregularities came to light. Some of the Tory colleagues cited on his expenses came forward to say they had not been present at the time.
Clement also entertained City Hall colleagues and charged the taxpayer, in contravention of GLA rules. The matter has since been referred to the police.
Johnson said before the weekend he would take questions on his oversight of Clement’s expenses at the full London assembly, where questions are time-limited on a range of issues over a two-and-a-half hour session, or the BMac committee, “but not both”.
This prompted claims that the Tory mayor, who promised openness and transparency in his mayoralty, is seeking to limit the amount of scrutiny at the hands of the London assembly.
In what is expected to a heated round of exchanges, Johnson will be asked what he knew and when, and whether he acted swiftly enough.
Today’s meeting will also be used to take a vote on more detailed and regular publication of expenses claimed by both assembly members and the mayor’s advisors.
All but one of the 25 assembly members voluntarily published their expenses following the last BMac meeting.
Brian Coleman, the Tory member for Barnet and Camden, flatly refused, stating in the London Evening Standard that his expenses were “none of the public’s business”.
But Coleman relented the following day following pressure from Johnson’s office.
