New sleaze and incompetence at the heart of Johnson’s administration

By Len Duvall AM

The Tories are facing big problems nationally and here in London as their promises to “fix broken politics” start to look more than a little suspect.

When David Cameron made a speech criticising “an elite few” buying influence, did he forget about non-domiciled Ashcroft, “the man who bought the Tory Party”, according to Peter Oborne?

In London, Boris Johnson seems to be doing his best to enhance his regime’s reputation as sleazy as well as incompetent.

Brent Conservative councillor, Bertha Joseph, appointed by City Hall to Boris Johnson’s Fire Authority, has been barred from her local council for six months for spending almost £1,000 of children’s charity donations on dresses for herself.

She was found to have brought her office into disrepute and the judge who heard her case said she could have deprived the two charities involved of income. She appealed and lost.

The police have now been called in to investigate whether Bertha Joseph broke the law.

Because of a legal loophole, her ban does not automatically disbar this councillor from the Fire Authority. And, despite knowing all the details of her case, Boris Johnson is standing by her.

Councillor Joseph is the fourth member of Boris Johnson’s regime to be hit by financial scandal. Deputy Mayor Ian Clement was convicted of fraud after using a City Hall credit card to wine and dine his lover. Olympics adviser David Ross had to resign over a shares scandal. Another deputy mayor, Ray Lewis, was forced to quit after financial irregularities surfaced from his time in the church.

The sleazy reputation of the Tories’ most prominent administration isn’t just financial. Boris has lost advisers for saying African Caribbean Londoners could “go home” if they didn’t like his mayoralty (James McGrath) and for lying about being a magistrate (Ray Lewis again). Johnson’s attempt to appoint Veronica Wadley to a top arts job against the recommendation of his own interview panel was blocked because it breached anti-sleaze and cronyism rules.

We all remember the dying days of the Tories’ last period in office. Boris Johnson has been Mayor for less than two years and already has a litany of grubby episodes I’m sure he would rather forget. But his refusal to act against his latest scandal-hit appointment beggars belief.

David Cameron has talked a lot about “cleaning up” politics and the need for change. Maybe a good start would be for the Tory leader to get his own house in order: Ashcroft and Joseph in their different ways say all we need to know about his party’s attitude to sleaze and the “change” they have to offer.