The cost of living is set to be brought down with record cuts in interest rates and a fall in inflation
More...
Did Ken break rules to win 2004 election?
Pippa Crerar and Ross Lydall18.01.08
Mayor Ken Livingstone faces another blow to his re-election campaign amid a fresh series of damaging allegations.
A Channel 4 documentary is to claim that the Mayor's inner circle of advisers breached strict rules which ban City Hall employees from working on election campaigns.
The Dispatches programme, to be broadcast on Monday, is to claim that key aides raised funds, wrote articles and conducted briefings for the Mayor's election campaign in 2004 even though they were being paid by the taxpayer at the time.
In the programme a "whistleblower" claims three of the Mayor's most senior advisers ran the campaign while on the public payroll.
Dispatches maintains that although any breach of the GLA rules would not necessarily have been a criminal offence it should still have been punishable by disciplinary action.
The Mayor's office strenuously denies the allegations, which threaten to overshadow Mr Livingstone's battle against Tory candidate Boris Johnson and Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick.
The documentary, presented by New Statesman political editor Martin Bright, reveals details of an alleged smear campaign - initiated by one of the Mayor's most senior advisers, Lee Jasper - against Trevor Phillips before he became chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
A spokeswoman for Mr Livingstone dismissed the allegations as a "smear campaign" and claimed the programme was politically motivated.
"Ken Livingstone has pointed out that the broadcasting of such a programme during the run-up to an election, with no equivalent programme on the other candidates, was a violation of all rules of objective coverage of elections," she said.
Len Duvall, chairman of the Greater London Labour Party, said: "These are old issues. If someone had done something wrong in 2004 I would have expected claims to have been made in 2004.
"We want to get on to talk about the issues. Quite frankly, some of these are old smears and our opponents don't want to talk about transport, policing or the environment, where there have been improvements.
"If they have got anything they should put up or shut up. These are diversions because they are afraid to debate the issues."
Link to:
Reader views (16)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
"It just shows how desparate Johnson and the Tories are scraping the bottom of the barrel and dredging up non-news".
- Dhanraj, Basildon, Essex
Where on earth does the article mention Livingstone's political opponents? Read the article!
- G S Randall, London
Time this hypocritical bourgeois man got his marching orders, just another item to add to the catalogue of what Ken wants he gets, regardless of public opinion or right or wrong!
Isn't it about time we had a Mayor who was for the people and stands by the people - or am I just dreaming!
- Nic Zuraw, London
Witch-hunts and smears, media investigations' all sound to me like the usual assortment of opponents of a politician who are unable to debate the political issues.
If rules were broken in 2004, it seems strange that his opponents only bring it up now. The Standard, as with every other newspaper, has the right to back who they wish during the mayoral election.
Boris Johnson is the only mayoral candidate who won't put a charge on oil guzzlers. Why is he the only Tory who doesn't want to abolish the congestion charge - if it was such a failure, it would be an easy winner.
With Livingstone, and perhaps Paddick, we know what they believe. But Boris? Cut the smears, start the discussion.
- Ray Sirotkin, London,UK
