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Livingstone hit by new allegations over advisers
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent21.01.08
Pressure is mounting on Ken Livingstone over a string of serious allegations against his administration.
The Tories called for an independent inquiry into claims the Mayor's aides breached City Hall rules by working on his 2004 election campaign.
Former adviser Atma Singh claimed he and other advisers raised large sums from donors and wrote political articles and briefings while drawing public salaries.
Mr Singh was speaking to Channel 4 documentary Dispatches, being broadcast tonight, which also claims the Mayor's senior aides were members of a secret Trotskyite cell and ran a smear campaign against equalities chief Trevor Phillips.
Shadow London minister Bob Neill said the allegations had become so serious they should be properly investigated by an independent body such as the Audit Commission.
"Nobody can have any faith in the independence of the City Hall mechanisms any more. There's a need for something more independent and much tougher," Mr Neill said.
Yesterday Gordon Brown defended Mr Livingstone, saying: "He has a proven record of success and I think that's what people are looking at. That is how people will judge him."
Mr Livingstone today claimed he was the victim of a "hatchet job" by Channel 4. In a statement, a spokesman for Mr Livingstone's campaign denounced claims in the programme, made by New Statesman political editor Martin Bright, as "ludicrous" and accused it of "smearing" the Mayor. The statement claimed Dispatches had been "totally discredited" after documentaries on Aids and climate change. The spokesman called the allegations "an attempt to divert attention from the real issues in the London Mayor election: transport, policing, housing, good community relations and the environment."
A GLA statement described Mr Singh, the Mayor's policy adviser on Asian affairs until last year, as an "embittered ex-employee" who was "removed" from his job for failure to discharge his duties. It accused Mr Singh of making "unfounded allegations" about senior officials.
The Tories accused the Government of "washing their hands" of the affair and trying to "distance themselves" to avoid any embarrassing fallout. The programme claims the Mayor'smost senior aides, including his chief of staff and principal economics adviser, have been members of the secretive group Socialist Action that plotted to turn London into a "socialist city state". The advisers have allegedly refused to say whether they remain members. A GLA spokeswoman refused to comment on the allegation.
Dispatches also accused Mr Livingstone of drinking whisky at a public meeting and at his office but the Mayor has vehemently denied he drinks too much.
Reader views (17)
He has gotten away with too much for too long.
- Lordy, Islington, London
I truly believe that Ken Livingstone is incompetent. The Underground is much more unreliable than it was 8 years ago despite horrific fare increases. What happened to all he money raised from the congestion charge that was supposed to be invested in better tube and bus services? We now have to pay for an extra layer of administration through higher council taxes but receive no benefits. Is there really any need to have a 'Mayor for London' at all?
- Bethany Stephens, London E6
Calm down Ken have another scotch and chill out...the teflon is still in position!
- Ian Makin, Twickenham
I read the Standard article and watched the C4 programme 'Dispatches' and have no problem believing all of the allegations presented. Mr Livingstone's overwhelming arrogance and dealings have placed him in a position of enormous political power and he feels accountable to know one but himself. The quicker the autocrat is voted out the better off London will be.
- Brian Leveson, St Albans, Herts
It seems that Ken and his cronies are unaccountable and Ken's increasingly beligerent and arrogant attitude to all that criticise him is akin to that of the dictators that he courts so freely with London's money.
Ken and the likes of Jasper are not looking to the best interests of London but in many cases to their own self interest or some confused outdated left-wing ideology. I just hope that we vote him out and get someone, anyone, who will use our money to improve our city for all of us. They are and absolute disgrace. Get in an indepedent audit.
- Simon Ogborn, Surbiton
It's time to go Ken, you have let London down.
- Samuel Lewis, London
Red Ken is like most other socialist politicians; monumentally arrogant. He believes that he has a God-given right to rule and that this puts him beyond scrutiny.
One only has to look at the way that he and his Nu Labour chums have spent the last decade dismantling and riding roughshod over British democracy and its institutions.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
Is that another farce inquiry in the making?
Just put them all in Guantanamo Bay for terrorist cell activity. That will give us a few years to find charges and stop immediately further damage to our freedom.
- Laurent, London UK
He should be removed from office. And what is the Mayor of a city doing spending our public money on 'embassies' in foreign countries? It is the government's responsibility, not his, to promote British businesses abroad.
- Mike Stern, London
Nu Labour = Old Communists. The time to kick this lot out of office is long overdue.
- Paul, London UK
Let's start looking for a Mayor of London that London can be proud of.
- Alex, London
Don't get me wrong I like a lot of what KL has done for the capital but power corrupts. KL has surrounded himself with a bunch of notorious self-serving hatchetmen who make him look like an old-time mafia don straight out a bad gangster flick. Because their shennanigans and badgerings have been swept under the carpet so often before these people think they are immune to the legal process and are no longer politically accountable. Some of these characters have such a bad reputation in their respective communities that nobody seems able to stand up to them. Nobody wants to speak up because they are often intimidated or hounded out of the community by unelected interest groups who get support from these people. Forget about political correctness in speech and manner what about political responsibility and integrity in office. He needs to sack em or leave with them!
- Cee-Jay, London, Forest Gate, London
People like Livingstone have no regard for democratic process as we know it. They are hard Stalinite lefties who would prefer to rule by fiat and have the proletariat knuckle their foreheads in obeisance.
Well done Standard..
- George Hinton, Twickenham, Middlesex
Trouble is that the electorate have been showered in so many unforfilled promises, misled at every turn and lied to so much that they don't even want to listen to the lies anymore, sorry ... I mean promises any more. The spectacle of our elected and 'wanna be' elected politicians parading like so many talk heads trying to gain the political high ground is just so much back ground noise and part of the drip, drip that will eventually destroy democracy. Why don't they just tow 'City Hall' down the Thames estuary and turn it into a bird sanctuary. More useful I think.
- Colin Bond, London
I never trusted Red Ken and now with the whole transport situation he "controls" in fact completely out of control he needs to go.
- Franky, London NW1
It's about time Ken went, the amount of taxpayers' money he has wasted over the years is a disgrace. We need a change.
- Adib Ghaznavi, London
Regardless of our political views, it is time for a change in our Government leadership. It is just necessary.
- Sarah, London
