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City Hall politicians made gay 'lust list'
By Ben Leapman, Political Reporter, Evening Standard Last updated at 00:00am on 06.01.03Two London politicians used the Mayor's computer network to compile a list of City Hall colleagues whom they found attractive.
Tory Brian Coleman and the Green Party's Darren Johnson, both members of the London Assembly and both openly gay, exchanged notes on fanciable men via email.
Their list of five male staff was discovered by accident by an aide. The two politicians are said to be very embarrassed that news of the incident has leaked out.
Mr Coleman represents Camden and Barnet on the 25-strong Assembly after he won the seat in the 2000 election. He is also the Tories' deputy leader on the Assembly.
Mr Johnson is the Mayor's adviser on environmental issues. He finished fifth behind Ken Livingstone and the three main parties in the last mayoral election, but won the consolation prize of an Assembly seat. The incident may further set back the career of Mr Coleman. His bid to become the Conservative candidate for Mayor in 2004 was thrown out last month by party officials. Mr Johnson was the Greens' candidate in 2000.
None of the men on the list, most of whom are understood to be heterosexual, have raised the matter with GLA authorities, even though some have suffered gentle ribbing from colleagues.
The five men were a cross-party selection of junior researchers and political aides working for London Assembly members and party groups at the mayoral headquarters near London Bridge.
There is unlikely to be any investigation. One City Hall employee, who did not want to be identified, said: "No one has formally complained, and I would be surprised if anyone did. Complaints don't
get very far in this place." A spokesman for the Greater London Authority said that officials had no knowledge of the incident.
Mr Coleman and Mr Johnson confirmed the list's existence to the Evening Standard.
Mr Johnson said: "It was just a private exchange between myself and Brian. It was all just a bit of a joke. Me and Brian are a bit lecherous. Two lecherous old queens."
Mr Coleman said the list was sent by private email, and said there was no public interest in the matter. A draft code of conduct drawn up at the authority's launch in 2000 warned staff to avoid "close personal familiarity" with colleagues, but the Mayor vetoed the proposed rule shortly before he began dating his aide Emma Beal.
However, legal experts said that such lists, whether straight or gay, could be used in claims for sexual harassment.
Under current British employment law, bosses who draw up lists of attractive colleagues of the opposite sex will be open to claims of sexual harassment. Same-sex lists are a legal grey area, but from 2005 a new version of the EU Equal Treatment Directive will take effect in Britain, protecting employees against any "verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct" which "violates their dignity".
A spokesperson for the Equal Opportunities Commission said: "If two men drew up a list of the 'fittest' women in the office, it could constitute sexual harassment.
"For men who draw up lists of the fittest men, the legal position is cloudy."
