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Tube unions bankroll Ken
Paul Waugh and Pippa Crerar25 Apr 2008
Ken Livingstone's re-election campaign has received more than £ 110,000 from trade unions that have threatened recent Tube strikes.
The Evening Standard can reveal that Unite, which considered industrial action last year but settled at the last minute, has given £100,000.
A further £10,000 was received from Aslef, which has staged a series of strikes on commuter lines over the past two years.
The donations are certain to raise conflict of interest questions as the Mayor, who is chairman of Transport for London, is effectively the Tube workers' boss.
It was reported this week that Mr Livingstone had "bribed" RMT members with free annual travel passes to avoid a 48-hour Underground strike before polling day.
Mr Livingstone said: "I am pleased to have trade union support. The fact that we have had disagreements from time to time on particular issues does not mean we can't broadly agree on basic issues of social justice.
"It just shows we are independent of one another but we agree on some of the basic issues." Steve Hart, Unite's London secretary, said: "Unite believes that Ken Livingstone is the best candidate for working Londoners. He has a proven track record on the issues that matter to us - public transport, the London Living Wage and affordable housing."
Tube strikes planned for next week in the run-up to polling day were called off earlier this week by the more hardline transport unions the RMT and TSSA.
The Mayor was cleared last month of breaching Electoral Commission rules over his failure to register donations in his own name. His backers give funds to the Labour Party which are then passed on to his campaign, legally allowing their identities to remain secret until after the election.
In a Commons debate today, Tory MP Greg Hands called for a change in the law so Mr Livingstone would be forced to tell voters who was funding him.
"Ken Livingstone has not declared a single campaign donation since 2000. I believe this to be both wrong and against at least the spirit of Britain's political funding laws," he said.
The Mayor said a painting donated by graffiti artist Banksy, auctioned off for £195,000, made up about half of his fighting fund, suggesting he had raised just under the £420,000 statutory maximum.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is on his way to becoming a "million pound mayor", according to figures for his own campaign. The money and gifts in kind given to the Tory candidate's election bid - before the mayoral campaign began - totalled £444,899. He has received £20,000 to help run his parliamentary office during the campaign.
Mr Johnson has also raised the statutory maximum to spend on the formal campaign, bringing his spending to nearly £900,000 in total. Tory insiders have revealed it has been "a breeze" raising funds for the Back Boris campaign, with the Henley MP attracting interest from businesses and individuals.
Among those to have given money are theatre impresario Cameron Mackintosh, who handed over £10,000, and lyricist Tim Rice, who gave £2,000. Tory party treasurer Lord Marland, who has played a key role in fundraising for the London campaign, has given £17,000 of his own money.
Former treasurer and now deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft said Mr Johnson had hit the £420,000 limit for fundraising for the six-week mayoral election period. Mr Johnson was reprimanded by the Electoral Commission earlier this year for failing to properly register a £25,000 donation from Tory peer Lord Laidlaw.
Reader views (15)
TSSA isn't a hard-line union, it hasn't called for a strike in 19 years. But that's irrelevent, the right to withdraw labour is a right that workers literally fought for and died for at the hands of strike breakers.
Without collective bargaining people are isolated and their rights are ignored.
Given that it's illegal to influence the outcome of a trail, it should also be the same for an election.
The evening standard should have a bit more respect for the population of this city and concentrate on balance in their reporting instead of their reprehensible agenda to get their man into office.
- John Gee, london, uk, 29/04/2008 11:14
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One lot of thieves bankrolling another. Talk about sleaze they really take the mickey don't they.
Fares are only as high as they are because of high wages and poor quality personnel.
With the captive customer base and the millions who travel why on Earth are the fares so high because of unions screwing the travelling public.
- K Harrop, hertford uk, 25/04/2008 15:57
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Suckers always bankroll a loser.
- David, Crawley UK, 25/04/2008 15:48
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The Standard is fully entitled to oppose the re-election of Ken Livingstone. It is the paper's duty to present any evidence it has of wrongdoing within his administration. Yet here is the truth of the matter: each day, in conference, the editor and her executives demand more and more dirt on Ken. They are not just against him; they want him flayed alive. No who reads the Standard each day could fail to conclude that the paper is out to "get" the mayor and replace him with ... gulp!... Boris Johnson. But this isn't campaigning journalism; it's a lynching.
- Walter Ellis, New York, USA, 25/04/2008 15:30
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Brian you make one good point, Labour *are* in the pockets of the trade unions and always have been. Blair was able to use his sizeable majority and post Thatcher legislation to be fairly independent of the unions. But watch Brown squirm this summer as the unions continue to strike. With rebellious backbenchers sensing a kill, the unions know they have Brown over a barrel.
As for Ken, you only have to look at the strike that was planned for next week by the RMT to purposefully embarrass the Mayor. They weren't getting what they wanted in their negotiations, so in threatening the strike they managed to get the Mayor to capitulate. Who knows what other demands were made.
Looking at the state that the tube is in and the ridiculous cost (highest in Europe) it's pretty important to know that whoever is representing the traveller is independent and acting in our best interests.
Yes Boris is funded by many individuals and business, because they are sick of Livingstone's waste and inefficiency, they don't expect favouritism, not like the big union bosses. Boris has promised transparency (Ken hasn't) on all donations and all city hall spending.
If you want more strikes, higher fares and worse safety late at night on the tubes then go ahead vote Ken. But I want a better London, I'm voting for Boris.
- Tim For Change, London, UK, 25/04/2008 15:12
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This is why Ken isn't fit to be mayor. He cannot claim to commuters who use the tubes daily that he is on their side when he is taking money from the unions who continue to threaten strike action. No wonder that Ken has caved in to their demands in the twice (since the election started) that they have threatened to strike.
Boris is right to try and put an end to striking. Tube drivers earn something ridiculous like £40k - and if they don't like it that can go and get another job like the rest of us have to do.
- William, Islington, London, 25/04/2008 15:03
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What about all of the London property developers who've been contributing, how much have they paid him?
- Rhonda Hughes, Finsbury Park, 25/04/2008 14:46
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Poor Red Ken and he had just proclaimed he was an "independent"?!
- Marian, London, NW1, 25/04/2008 14:34
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No true Brit can possibly vote labour or tory. Vote elsewhere or do not vote. Show these people that you mean business. The Jock just dropped the 10 per cent. He will drop the lot if you protest. Games up Loser. Enjoy the USA conference circuit.
- Robert, Fulham, London, 25/04/2008 14:27
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No idea what Ken has down with all the money - not one single Labour leaflet through my door. Perhaps he ought to have a word with his delivery company. How do I know that? Friend of mine in Finchley saw his being delivered by someone with one of those nice shiny yellow bags.
- Steve, barnet, 25/04/2008 13:55
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When you are paying more for your journey into work who you going to blame. Boris for being open and declaring all donations from private sources or Ken for taking this money from the RMT.
- Dave, Croydon, 25/04/2008 13:21
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Maybe the Tories should be transparent about some of their donations. Who gave what to the Midlands Industrial Council for example? It's shrouded in mystery and of dubious legality.
And what payback will some of Johnson's backers want - and of course we know what the Evening Standard/Daily Mail require (renewal of rights to distribute Metro on the tube).
- Henry, London, Uk, 25/04/2008 12:29
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This is a shocking conflict of interest - it surely cannot be legal. What is the difference between this and a developer bunging Ken £100K to get his project approved by Ken. Same difference and worse than this Ken clearly bought them off last week with our money!
Corruption and Disingenuity - Just a day at the office for Ken
- Orwell, London, 25/04/2008 12:25
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Stop the press - Prominent Labour politician receives funding from trade unions! And? Where's the news? or is that the sound of a barrel I can hear being scraped? The Labour Party has its origins in the trade union movement and has always received funding from trade unions, but to imply a conflict of interests is outrageous. I can't recall any other suggestion that the Labour Party nationally, or Ken Livingston in London are in the pockets of the trade unions. As he says, agreement over basic principles maybe, but no one of any intelligence could suggest a regular tugging at the forelock to them. And Johnson receives his funding from business - is he going to be soft on them? And when Boris received free premises from a Japanese corporation that had clashed with Ken over millions of pounds worth of London development? Conflict of interest anyone? Implication and innuendo yet against Ken, but nothing else. With this level of scraping there won't be any barrel left by next week.
- Brian Capaloff, Falkirk, Scotland (Formerly London), 25/04/2008 12:23
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Interesting, so more of tax money gifts to them, strike, more payouts, more taxes etc. This is corruption at the highest level! Red Ken you are out!
- Georgie, Islington, London, 25/04/2008 11:59
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