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The head of Transport for London is today facing accusations of political interference in the mayoral election campaign.
Transport commissioner Peter Hendy is revealed to have written emails discussing "refuting" Boris Johnson's policies on public transport, particularly his commitment to abolishing bendy buses.
A series of emails seen by the Evening Standard show that he communicated with Ken Livingstone's chief of staff - who is also a key figure in the campaign to re-elect the Mayor - about whether there was "mileage" in rebutting Mr Johnson's attack on bendy buses. Critics today said Mr Hendy's interventions raised questions over whether he had broken rules of political neutrality.
As transport commissioner, he is not allowed to express political views.
Mr Johnson said: "This indicates that Transport for London is caught up in Ken's political machine which is utterly inappropriate. This says more about the Mayor and the way he does business than anything else. Clearly they all think they are above the rules. It raises the question - can we trust what TfL says from now on?"
Mr Hendy, whose salary is £320,000 a year, described any accidents which might take place involving bendy buses - once dubbed "Ken's chariots of fire" because of a series of blazes - as "meat to BJ's [Boris Johnson] campaign".
The Standard has also established:
• An informal discussion took place with TfL about setting up an "attack" unit within the organisation's press and public affairs departments to undermine Mr Johnson. Nothing came of the discussion.
• Three top-level TfL press and public affairs officials have quit. Some were said to have opposed the idea.
• Questions were also raised over a briefing given by TfL on the figures used by Mr Johnson to back his anti-bendy bus policy, which was given to selected journalists at the same time as the Mayor outlined his objections as part of his political campaign.
TfL denies there was any breach of political neutrality rules. Mr Hendy did not comment personally on the accusations but a statement issued by TfL said he was known for being robust in support of the organisation's policies.
Mr Livingstone today gave his full support to Mr Hendy and said he would renew his contract if re-elected on 1 May.
The Mayor said Mr Hendy's email was a legitimate attempt to set the record straight about bendy buses. "We have had a completely dishonest campaign about bendy buses in this city and my commissioner of transport has a duty to make sure that things which are said that are not true are corrected."
Mr Johnson has made introducing "new Routemasters" and getting rid of bendy buses a key part of his bid to become Mayor.
Under rules governing the conduct of officials at City Hall, they are banned from expressing support for politicians.
As public servants, they are expected to implement policies and are allowed to support the policies, but not express backing for the Mayor or his opponents.
Whether Mr Hendy has broken the rules would be ruled on by GLA chief executive Anthony Mayer. The emails, seen by the Standard, show how Mr Hendy was in communication in October last year with the Mayor's chief of staff Simon Fletcher, shortly after Mr Johnson announced his intention to ditch the bendy buses. Mr Fletcher said he was "very worried" about the media appeal of Mr Johnson's policy to scrap bendy buses following fatalities and fires.
"Basically the artic [bendy] fire is making his deranged policy look half sensible," wrote Mr Fletcher. "If someone gets killed by an artic this side of May [the election] we have the mother of all problems."
Mr Hendy replied: "I agree this [the fire] gives a degree of topicality to his [Johnson's] 'campaign,' but it is not a transport policy...Since transport incidents look as if they are meat to BJ's campaign, I'll talk to Vernon [Everitt, TfL head of communications] about the best way to handle them in real time."
Mr Hendy also said: "Is there mileage, now or later, in refuting Boris's two public transport ideas - artics cause death by fire and crushing cyclists, and Routemasters are good?" A TfL spokesman said: "Misleading statements had been made about the safety of bendy buses. Peter Hendy is well known for his robust, factual defence of transport improvements in London."
Questions may also be raised about a briefing given by TfL officials to journalists-last week about the cost of Mr Johnson's policy to abolish the bendy bus, and introduce a new design of Routemasters with conductors.
TfL said that it would need 60 per cent more Routemaster buses than bendy buses to replace the current service provided by the 350 bendy buses. This, TfL said, would cost an extra £72 million a year for the staff, plus £40 million to buy the extra buses, making a total of £112 million, almost exactly the same as Mr Livingstone's costing of the Johnson plan.
One TfL source said: "Everyone knew the figures we were giving out last week were at the very least deliberately skewed to the highest possible pitch to help out Ken."
Another source said: "I was here [TfL] at the last election, and the level of paranoia then from the Mayor's office was extreme. This time round, they have completely crossed the line."
TfL said its costings had been "backed" by an independent transport consultancy, TAS, although in fact the consultancy merely said that TfL's estimate of £112million was "closer" to the truth than Mr Johnson's claim of £8million.
Sources within TfL said there was widespread belief within the organisation that the departure of three of its most senior press and public affairs officers was linked to the moves to attack Mr Johnson's policy on bendy buses. The three are Stephen Webb, TfL's head of public affairs, who resigned and is currently working out his notice; Graham Goodwin, the chief press officer, who resigned claiming constructive dismissal; and Dan Hodges, the head of news, who was suspended in December.
One source within TfL told the Standard: "Vernon Everitt told Dan and Stephen he had had a discussion with Peter [Hendy] and the outcome of this was that they wanted to have a small team of press and public affairs officers doing nothing else but Boris.
"Stephen was also asked to set up an operation to monitor Boris's website. There was clear and direct resistance to the proposals. People said they needed to maintain an independent distance between themselves as officials and the politics."
Mr Webb refused to comment on whether he had been asked to establish an operation monitoring Mr Johnson.
He said: "I was not asked to do anything which went beyond normal election protocol or made me feel uncomfortable. I am leaving TfL after seven years to take up a new challenge in a bigger communications role."
Mr Goodwin said he had not been subjected to "political pressure from the Mayor's office". It is understood he is not legally allowed to discuss his departure after signing a confidentiality deal.
Mr Hodges refused to comment and referred enquiries to the TfL press office.
The official reason for Mr Hodges's dismissal was that he issued a jokey press statement about the sacking of Emma Clarke, who recorded the automated announcements heard on trains, after she criticised the Underground.
TfL said it did monitor the websites and statements of all Mayoral candidates but said it had never "even considered setting up any unit or team to 'attack' Mayoral candidates" and said that no staff had left TfL after refusing to undertake such attacks.
The emails are the third time in two months that questions have been raised over whether staff who work for the Mayor or organisations linked to him have broken rules on political neutrality. He faces an Electoral Commission inquiry after Channel 4's Dispatches said key aides worked for him during the 2004 election while on the public payroll.
Reader views (27)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Bring back the Routemasters. How about licensing two or three of them for wedding ceremonies. I dare say many would like to marry on the top deck of a Routemaster and going downstairs for the register-signing and a quick snort and/or finger-buffet!
It would be a good way of promoting the reintroduction of these much-loved vehicles, which could nip in and out of a domestic snarl-up in half the time a bendy bus can take.
You might even get a quickie divorce on board as well!
- Peter Seekings-Foster, Muildenhall, Suffolk
The Labour political machine is, in its entirety, utterly corrupt and dishonest. We need a clean sweep throughout the country. Start again properly by getting out of Europe; which of itself is a tribute to despotism, fascism and corruption. Lets have a good ethical parliament once more with decent men in power. likely?.. well it's top of my wish list.
- Antifed, Bromley, Kent
First order of business for Mayor Boris would be to fire Hendy.
- James, Hurst Green, UK
I wouldn't trust anything that TFL says. It would seem there are lies, damned lies and TFL statistics. According to them, bendy buses are the safest form of transport, central London traffic is the fastest since records began and the tube PPP is excellent value. The TFL building should be renamed the Ministry of Truth!
- Cm, London,
Don't forget the amount of revenue lost by BendyBus fare evading passengers! Should bring the 'cost' comparison with the Routemasters down a bit, shouldn't it!
- James, Los Angeles, CA
David, South London.
Totally agree... A saying springs to mind.
Never lie, but never tell the truth.
Only Ken has told lies.
- Asw, Hong Kong
Of potential concern is what job Ken will do if he ends up out of office? Could he end up heading up a quango that will focus on seeking out damage for whoever ends up in office? Will he return to office in five years?
- Sara, London
This does not surprise me at all, Ken did the same thing when he was at the GLC, with whole units of people engaged in publicity at our expense to get him re-elected. Look at how many press and public affairs people TFL has in that huge tower block office in Victoria Street. Any criticism of Ken, or it seems his cronies, gets an immediate response. It is typical of Ken that he bought hundreds of these bendy buses and completely ignored people's objections to them, even when they started catching fire and killing cyclists. He did the same thing with the western extension of the "congestion" tax zone We've got to kick them all out on May 1st, and Boris is the best man to do it.
- David,, South London, UK
as a very rough back of the envelope calculation...
if you have 3 conductors for each bus (to allow for 3 shifts per bus)and you pay each conductor £30k (which for the job seems generous) you get £31.5m.
add on top of that £40m for the buses per year and you get to £71.5m, not £112m as claimed by this civil servant and the mayor.
the only way you could get to their figure, would be either to include the driver's salary (which would be double counting as it isn't an additional cost) or by paying the conductors £68,571 per annum... in which case I think the London commuters and tax payers might get a little upset.
It again seems like typical politicians and bureaucrats misrepresenting the truth (lying) and protecting there own jobs.
- Eb, London, UK
The polls say that about a third of Londoners support Ken.
I really am amazed that so many people accept the corruption happening in the Mayors office (the cronies, Jasper etc. )
If you are one of these - please post and explain why you don't think theft from taxpayers matters and can be overlooked. Really - I am interested what makes you tick.
- Hitting Head Against Wall ..., London
It is indeed time for a change - I am only worried that Boris is not up for the job - or is he just the front man. Difficult times. Wish there was more robust competition, where would feel confident of a real alternative to Ken. Chances of this "not backing Boris" email being published by the standard - slim to zero.
- Jules, London, UK
Charles of London you have stated my sentiments exactly. All I am witnessing from Ken and his cronies these days is the typical corruption, arrogance and cronyism that has become evident in the national Labour government as well. I voted for Ken twice and won't be doing so a third time.
- Janine, London
If you ask TfL staff what they think of Peter Hendy you'll find he's extremely highly respected by the majority because he's damn good at a very difficult job.
- Rb, London
Wouldn't it be wonderful to see off not only Ken, but also his cronies? We have suffered at their hands for long enough. While fares have gone up and up, transport in London has gone from bad to dire to unacceptable. A decent, reliable public transport system that actually works would do more for traffic control, pollution and lost working hours than the heftiest of congestion zone charges. Ken and Peter Hendy have had more than a fair chance to sort things out and it is blatantly obvious that they have failed miserably. Let's grab the opportunity to have a clean sweep and a new approach, 'cause the old one ain't working, and never will.
- Katy Diamond, London, UK
It seems pretty obvious that all the pro-Livingstone messages are planted. Is there a degree of desperation creeping into the Mayor's campaign? He's corrupt and unpleasant and a bully boy - no one wants him and everyone loathes the way he plays the race card - especially all those who bitterly resent the way he portrays them as "victims" and in need of his support. They are quite able to make up their own minds with no help from him and his corrupt team. The sooner he is out the better...roll on May 1st.
- Diana, Paddington W2, London, UK
Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Ken has had absolute power for too long. Time for a breath of fresh air and a change from Ken's dictatorial rule.
- Dbr, London
It is well known within TfL the Mayor say jump and those that do not have the concept of professional independence say HOW HIGH!
It is symptomatic of poor organisation that only those that comply with their political masters remain.
TfL is not fit for propose.
- Ethel, London
It is time for a change. Ken has done some good things but he is now behaving with such arrogance that he has lost my vote. I don't like the way he reacted to accusations of "cronyism" and corruption nor the way he plays the race card either. The latter is particularly obnoxious and London can do without such cheap, nasty accusations.
- Charles, London
You have to wonder just how deep the corruption runs.
- Gavin, London, UK
It is not just people on high salaries backing Livingstone. He has a team of bloggers on his payroll and no doubt the tax payer is picking up a hefty bill for their dubious services.
This election will be very dirty indeed and every postal vote should looked at very closely indeed.
- Kenherts, Enfield
If anybody has any doubts about the validity of the Standard's claims they only have to look as far as the Lee Jasper affair. Ken said he's innocent, Met investigation and subsequent resignation say otherwise....
- Mark, London
He's got to resign of course, immediately.
- Paul, Bromley
Public Transport in London Has seen great improvements in the last 8 years with the low floor bus network the largest in the uk and plans to make the tube accessible for all people. While the local rail companies fares are higher and un coordinated with tube fares all is at risk if the mayoral candidates want to break up our co-ordinated transport system
- Mr Stephen Aselford, CROYDON
It looks rather like Peter Hendy is more concerned with hanging on to his £320,000 a year salary than abiding by the rules.
I am confident that Boris Johnson will route out Ken's cronies and save the taxpayer a pretty penny.
- Roger, London, UK
Ah - Mr Gilligan and those anonymous sources again.
I do hope those quotes were verbatim and not sexed (made) up in any way.
- Dave, Catford
I am aware from Mr Livingstone's official campaign website details of Mr Johnson's transport plans. As a voter, I am concerned about what the transport proposals for the candidates are. As far as I can tell, Mr Livingstone, Sian Berry the Green candidate in particular have set down a strategy that they want to see an expansion of public transport. Mr Livingstone's have been costed - they must have been or you would have said something. However, what are Mr Johnson's policies? Does anyone out there know? All we get from him are stupid one liners such as motorbikes in the bus lanes to the outrage of cyclists, scrapping bendy buses with evidence that they are if anything safer and more accessible, and that pedestrians are dangerous! We get no overall policy, no strategy. Why? If we couple that with his support for high emission vehicles and lorries, climate change denial, then perhaps we can see why.
If you want to deal with the issues,why don't you let us hear the main candidates' policies?
- Harold, london,UK
Is it any wonder that the fat cats appointed by Livingstone are working furiously to get Livingstone re-elected so they can keep their jobs and enormous salaries?
- Js, london
