Why did Boris sneak off to San Francisco? And why did the Taxpayer pick up the tab?

An interesting development over at City Hall – where questions have been raised over Boris Johnson’s trip to San Francisco in February this year.

The Mayor’s own expenses record reveals that he claimed £4000 back from the taxpayer for the return flight and one night stay in America back in February, and the form submitted by the Mayor claimed that the cost was justified by “Negotiations for a major investment in London”.

However there are no details anywhere of the visit, and the Mayor’s office are refusing to comment on the trip.

Labour’s Len Duvall, who uncovered the expense claim, has a few searching claims for the Mayor:

“We need to know what Boris has spent over £4,000 of taxpayers’ money on. He flew to San Francisco for one night back in February, Londoners have a right to know why he has spent such a large amount of our money. If it’s for a big investment into London, why didn’t he get his trip paid for as part of the deal? I know Boris has previously called £250,000 ‘chicken feed’, but £4,000 is a lot of money to ordinary people and we need to know what it’s been spent on. “If this trip really was for a secret negotiation, why didn’t City Hall pay for it up front rather than the Mayor having to claim it back on expenses. They must have known that this information would be published on the Mayor’s website, surely they can’t be that incompetent?”

Why did you sneak off to San Francisco Boris? What were you up to? And why all the secrecy?