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Ken Livingstone spent more than £16,000 dining out at the taxpayers' expense in his second four-year term as mayor, it was revealed today.
Mr Livingstone ran up bills of more than £1,000 a time at some of the world's finest restaurants. His credit card bills show he enjoyed regular meals at Le Pont de la Tour near his City Hall office.
The largest single bill there was for £1,267.59 in January 2007. Other venues for entertaining included the Italian Quirinale in Westminster and Langan's Brasserie. Mr Livingstone also spent £523.58 at the Cinnamon Club Indian restaurant, a favourite of MPs. The former mayor charged for meals in Cuba, Shanghai and New York as he "promoted London internationally".
Mr Livingstone is not thought to have broken any rules. A spokesman for the former mayor said: "Credit card expenditure was signed off by the director of finance and scrutinised by the Greater London Assembly's audit panel."
Reader views (19)
So Tim from Harrow, thinks simple people were tricked into voting for Boris. well lets just say that this does not speak highly of his own "sophisticated" view points.
maybe if his own analysis were not so underpowered he might see that there are a number of perfectly valid reasons for wanting the former mayor removed from office.
- Scotty, london, 15/07/2009 12:15
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So, let's get this clear. We all know £76 a week is not a lot for the Mayor of London's expenses. Those people leaving aggressive comments about Ken know that as well as his supporters. This sort of nonsense is exactly the sort of misleading drivel that tricked just enough decent but simple people to vote for Boris Johnson.
Why not just say "I dislike Ken because he made me pay the congestion charge and, even though that was obviously completely justified, I'm basically a bit selfish."
It makes you seem a little bit less bigoted and unpleasant, because at least you're being honest.
- Tim, Harrow, London, 09/07/2009 16:39
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Whether Neil was joking or not, rest assured Fidel has the best of everything!
- Gwaddilove, London..England, 08/07/2009 21:18
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I thought Red Ken was an "ordinary Londoner" always saving money for "his city"...
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 08/07/2009 17:49
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Ken Livingstone.
That hard-up, stuck for a meal image that he has cultivated over the years hides in reality the typical champagne socialist who wants everyone to pay for his excesses.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 08/07/2009 17:44
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To Neil from London,
I don't know if your comment was some sort of unfunny joke, but if you meant it then you must reside on some other planet. Do you really think that the kind of officials the mayor of a LEADING WORLD CITY has to meet can just have a few baked beans throw at them by an old hag in a nylon overall? Would you be impressed by that if you'd come from say the other side of the world to meet the mayor of a LEADING WORLD CITY? It's worse than saying you'd have your wedding in a Maccies (no offence Maccies!). You have to be the hostess with the mostess and impress sometimes. Grow up with the silly comments or you look like a fool.
- Tl, Dulwich, 08/07/2009 16:18
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Ken's a socialist and should be eating in the local Caff with the workers. Can you imagine his hero Fidel indulging in fine dining ?
- Neil, London, 08/07/2009 14:24
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Livingstone currently on lbc radio. The £1,267.59 bill at Le Pont de la Tour was for entertaining a large delegation from the Clinton Foundation (including Clinton's Chief-of-Staff) who had just donated £140,000 and they walked to the restaurant from City Hall.
- Helen, West London, 08/07/2009 14:03
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What is most worrying about the current administration, quite apart from wasting time digging up old facts like this, is the sheer arrogance they display to the fact that it is Londoner's money they are spending and that have to abide by the rules set out for them.
The latest City Hall culprit responded to critics saying: "I'm from the Boris school of anarchist thinking. If somebody tells me to do something, I don't want to do it."
Well resign then, and fly your 6th form anarchist flag elsewhere, or grow up and take responsibility for your actions.
- Steve S, London, 08/07/2009 13:56
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- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK
There's a number of restaurants in the Houses of Parliament. However, the Mayor of London's office is not located in or anywhere near there but at City Hall which is 2.5 miles away on the other side of the river.
- Jimmy, Fulham, 08/07/2009 13:47
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I'm no fan of Ken, but he must have been living on bread and water most of the time if he only averaged £80 a week with blow-outs like these. If he was dining with people whose input could improve the lives of Londoners - which wouldn't be hard to prove - this seems quite an innocent perk in the wider context.
- Mdj E10, london uk, 08/07/2009 13:29
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Thoroughly ridiculous comments from Thomas Hayes, Terry Chambers, Praveen Anand and Ces.
What sort of establishments would you consider suitable for the Mayor of London to entertain visiting dignitaries in - a top class restaurant, or the local greasy spoon? I am guessing none of you get out much but let me tell you that £4,000 over 4 years - for top London restaurants - cannot add up to more than a handful of meals. Not that the article even mentions the bodies involved. For anyone who doesn't know, by the way, Le Pont de la Tour - where he supposedly went "regularly" (which no doubt translates as "more than all the others combined") is no more than a minute's walk from City Hall, so the article could just as easily have pointed out that he'd saved money on taxis by choosing to go there.
- D Woodstock, London, 08/07/2009 13:27
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Why cant a restaurant be provided in the House of Commons. The Forces have dining halls so whats wrong with something like theta for Government officials. The bills for restaurant meals beggars belief.
T H Leeds
- Thomas Hayes, Leeds UK, 08/07/2009 12:50
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same old story let the tax payers pay
- Terry Chambers, London, 08/07/2009 12:43
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Less than £80 a week for the mayor of an international capital city to wine and dine business and political leaders from around the world is positively frugal.
Especially when you compare it to the £4,800 that a lot of MPs were claiming for 2nd home food bills!
- Bill, London, 08/07/2009 12:29
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A truly typical Socialist.
Luxury for the commissar paid for by the taxpayer, some of whom actually voted for the nasty little man
- British Not Racist, Bracknell England, 08/07/2009 11:53
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Average of approx. £4 k per year for dining in London restaurants? -After recent M.P's expenses disclosures, it sounds like fairly frugal fare to me!
His dining out couldn't have been all that 'regular' on this budget!
- Huggy, Cumbernauld Scotland, 08/07/2009 10:38
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Shocking waste of public money
- Praveen Anand, London, 08/07/2009 10:36
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Animal Farm is alive and well. All of us are equal but "public servants" just have their snouts well and truly embedded in the trough
- Ces, london, 08/07/2009 10:31
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