How Goes The War On Ken? (Part 2)


by Dave Hill    
12:13 am - February 17th 2008

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Friday’s decision by Ken Livingstone to suspend his equalities adviser Lee Jasper and invite the police to investigate the many claims made against him by the Evening Standard was a calculated gamble at the end of another awkward week for the London mayor. His and Jasper’s wish must be that the move will persuade the capital’s voters that there is nothing to hide and result in Jasper’s exoneration. Livingstone will also be hoping that some of the heat will now go out of the story and that the media will talk instead about the issues he would prefer to debate.

It may help, but Ken shouldn’t hold his breath. For one thing, summoning Plod is unlikely to prevent the Standard augmenting or reheating its attacks. For another, he has a new problem – signs that his rival candidates are gaining momentum. This is not a scientific judgement on my part: as Mike Smithson points out there have been few opinion polls on the mayoral race and the last one – which suggested Livingstone’s position had actually strengthened followed Martin Bright’s Dispatches programme – used a very small sample. It is, though, based on some close observation both of the candidates and of the press.

For the Liberal Democrats, Brian Paddick is starting to turn up the heat, as he must. A former senior Met officer, his charge that Boris Johnson is “clueless” on crime carries authority while his comment at Thursday’s environment hustings that Livingstone’s new congestion charge proposal was “playing politics with the planet” has some force. More worryingly for the Labour man, Johnson himself is looking stronger.
The latter must do two things if he’s to win on 1st May: one is to rev-up the Tory core vote, the other is to mitigate as far as possible his image as a silly ass. He’s been working hard on the former and, notwithstanding Paddick’s jibe, his manifesto on crime will look substantial and practical to many. Meanwhile, his sense of humour has won him headlines, and not only from his fans. The more he can present himself as both responsible and refreshing, the more attractively he will contrast with Livingstone, who’s been looking battle-weary and, now and then, a bit ratty recently.

People far better qualified than I think this a very tricky contest to call. My guess is that the allegations of cronyism and corruption may have the effect of hardening Livingstone’s core support just as much as they may do the same for Johnson’s. That’s not to say, though, that their effect is neutral. Sean Fear has identified a group he calls “Livingstone Conservatives” – people who vote for Tory candidates for the London Assembly, but for Livingstone for mayor. If these change their minds this time, it’s bad news for Ken. They liked him in the past because he seemed to be both capable and charming. He needs to convince them that he hasn’t changed.

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About the author
Dave Hill is a regular contributor to Liberal Conspiracy. He is a novelist, blogger, journalist, married resident of Hackney in east London and father of six children. His novels are about family life. Also at: Comment is free.
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Reader comments


1. Publicansdecoy

I tend to agree with Catherine Bennett in The Observer in that none of the candidates really looks up to the job. We’re left to choose the least worst. Even a lot of Ken’s supporters seem to acknowledge this – “Yeah, OK, Ken’s got his bad points, but if you don’t vote for him you’ll get Boris, which would be even worse!” – hardly the most inspiring reason to vote for a politician. At the moment, I’m plumping for Paddick as first choice, and whichever out of Boris and Ken annoys me the least as second choice. That one won’t be easy.

2. Sunny Hundal

For one thing, summoning Plod is unlikely to prevent the Standard augmenting or reheating its attacks. For another, he has a new problem – signs that his rival candidates are gaining momentum.

Dave, I’m not sure about this argument. There hasn’t really been proper coverage of the Mayoral election worth keeping out for in tyhe way it has been with the American elections. In fact there’s been far more coverage of the American elections than the Mayoral. So it negates the ‘momentum’ argument for me.

There has been much mudslinging by the Evening Standard but its circulation is low and credibility on the issue even lower.

and I was quite incensed by Brian Paddick’s comments around the Archbishop incident… not sure if I’ll be voting for him anymore.

3. Sharon Benson

In order for the Mayor, Ken Livingstone to prove to Londoners that Lee Jasper did not interfere with funding decisions to organisations/businesses run by Jasper’s close personal friends and associates. Ken Livingstone should answer his critics (as detailed on BBC London, BBC Radio 4, the Telegraph and the Evening Standard) and either confirm or disagree with the following:-

a) The owner of Diversity International (one of the organisations at the centre of the LDA row) is a long time friend of Lee Jasper and a Board Director of the 1990 Trust

b) Lee Jasper is involved in the day to day management of the 1990 Trust directing its work and operations from City Hall, hence the attack on Trevor Phillips to stop him getting the job as the Chair of the new CEHR.

c) Lee Jasper is a long time friend of Errol Walters

d) Lee Jasper influenced the appointment of Errol Walters as the ‘Interim Director’ of the Black Londoners Forum despite his lack of qualifications for the post.

e) Two years have passed since the appointment of Errol Walters to the position of ‘Interim Director’, yet despite City Hall funding no recruitment has been undertaken to fill the post on a permanent basis, giving Errol Walters a free ride.

f) Lee Jasper intervened in the LDA funding of Brixton Base also run by Errol Walters from funding failure to funding success despite there being existing long established organisations in the Balck community engaged in work with young people, music and the creative industries whom were better placed to deliver and could have been given the opportunity to compete for the contract instead.

g) Lee Jasper is the Company Secretary of the African Caribbean Positive Image Foundation (ACPIF) a business he set up with two others to put on an awards event in order to compete with already established and experienced Black Awards events.

h) ACPIF lost money in its first year of operation and in order to fill this debt, ACPIF acquired a loan from ‘Ethnic Mutual’ a loan bank funded by the LDA and the DTI to help business to grow and develop. ACPIF ‘falsely’ acquired funds from ‘Ethnic Mutual’ to fill its £18,000 debt and then according to company’s house ACPIF in 2007 closed down with Lee Jasper still as its Company Secretary.

i) Ken Livingstone was critical of Atma Singh, a former mayoral advisor for running a business whilst an employee, yet what action is taken of Lee Jasper who too was running a business (ACPIF) while being an employee.

Lee Jasper has been accused of breaking the rules not breaking the law, thus why doesn’t Ken Livingstone refer the whole matter to the District Auditor to be properly independently investigated. The police have no remit to investigate public officials who break the rules. Is Ken alleging that a crime may have been committed?

As yet, no allegations have been put that Lee Jasper committed a crime, so why put up the police as a smoke screen.

Finally, given that Lee Jasper has been suspended, why is he being allowed to give a series of press interviews, claiming racism (see his interview in the Voice today) whilst still on his full City Hall salary of £121,000.


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