Morning:
9°c
Not before time, the head of Scotland Yard's anti-terrorism operations, Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, has issued an “unreserved apology” for suggesting yesterday that the Conservative Party was behind an article in the Mail on Sunday about his wife's business interests.
He had declared that it was engineered by the Tories in response to the recent controversial arrest of shadow immigration minister Damian Green. He was in overall command of the investigation. He now says he apologises “for any offence or embarrassment caused”.
Mr Quick was right to withdraw his remarks but it remains worrying that he made them in the first place. There was no indication in the Mail on Sunday piece that the Tories had anything to do with it, nor is it clear why Mr Quick thought they would know details about his personal life.
Yet he had, on the basis of no evidence, declared that: “The Tory machinery and their press friends are mobilised against this investigation in a wholly corrupt way.”
The Tories, for their part, have declared the matter closed, although shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve is right to ask whether Mr Quick can now credibly continue in his position. The policeman's extraordinary remarks suggest a want of acuity that raises doubts about his fitness for the responsible job that he occupies. The episode should not, however, have any bearing on the investigation into Mr Green, which on its own merits should be reconsidered.
The politicisation of the Met is already a problematic issue. Mr Quick's lack of judgment raises other questions, however — about the calibre of the individuals who occupy some of its most senior positions. As Mr Grieve said today, this is something that Mr Quick must reflect on: it is hard to see how he can remain in post now.
Housing farce
There would never be a good time for taxpayers to discover that Kensington and Chelsea council is paying more than £90,000 a year in central government funds to enable a family of four to live in a Notting Hill house worth perhaps £2.6 million. But with increasing numbers of people struggling with mortgages, the news will get an even bleaker reception.
Frances Walker says she has no wish to occupy such an expensive house and would be happy to have council accommodation. But the council says its options are restricted by central-government legislation: because of the children's school and social needs, they must be housed in the borough and they must, in this case, have a bedroom each. Why? In families who own their own homes, children do not invariably have separate rooms.
The problem arose when the Department for Work and Pensions reformed the system in April, publishing guidelines of the maximum amount they would pay for different categories of housing. Not surprisingly, landlords pushed their prices as far as they could go. This is galling for taxpayers struggling to pay their own rent and mortgages. The Department says that reform of the housing system is under way and they will be publishing a paper in January followed by concrete proposals in April. A common-sense system would do.
And celebrating...
LONDON RESTAURANTS. Despite the credit crunch, London's restaurants are full this Christmas season. And as we report today, this looks set to continue next year, with new openings in the West End from Sir Terence Conran, Jamie Oliver and Richard Caring.
In the cold nights of the New Year, our restaurants will be crucial to cheering us up - and, as Baroness Valentine suggests on these pages, helping to revive the capital's economy. But it is essential that restaurants adapt by offering more special deals and good value for money so that we can continue to enjoy them even in hard times.
