A row between Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson is continuing to play out in the letters page of the Guardian.

Last Friday several Assembly Members wrote a letter asking why Boris’s team had suddenly become so bereft of women and now filled with males (mostly friends).

It is a sad but perhaps not surprising indictment of Boris Johnson’s priorities that the seventh member to join his senior policy team is the seventh white male. Last week Boris Johnson’s chief executive of the GLA Group and “first deputy mayor” Tim Parker claimed his comments on equality in the workplace were misrepresented (Letters, July 18). He has since repeated his comments in a message to City Hall staff saying: “As the skills requirements for a post get more demanding, the narrower the field of expertise and the less people there are to choose from. Ideally we don’t want to end up with a disproportionate representation of old white guys like me, but the most critical determinant must be to select the best person for the role.”

In other words: it may not be ideal, but only “old white guys” like Mr Parker and the rest of Boris Johnson’s senior team have the necessary skills for the top jobs. In reality, a higher proportion of females than males in London gain qualifications at ages 16, 19 and 23. By the time they enter the workforce, a larger proportion of women in London have a degree-level qualification. Yet despite this, women are still less likely than men to attain supervisory or managerial posts. Similarly black, Asian and other minority ethnic graduates are less likely to secure good jobs compared to white graduates with the same qualifications.
Jennette Arnold AM, Nicky Gavron AM, Joanne McCartney AM, Navin Shah AM, Murad Qureshi AM, Valerie Shawcross AM (Labour) Jenny Jones AM (Green)

On Monday Boris Johnson hit back with his own letter expressing surprise at the accusation.

I would hope by now that all members of the London assembly were fully aware of who my team of advisers are. I would be worried if they were not familiar with my dynamic and youthful advisers: director of transport, Kulveer Ranger, or the female director of culture, Munira Mirza. Without dissecting the ethnic backgrounds of all of my staff, I would like to reassure Guardian readers that the claims made in this letter are politically motivated and incorrect.

London is a dynamic, diverse city and I am committed to making it the greatest city on earth. To do this I will need the skills and knowledge of people from every perceivable background and skills set. I am equally proud of all my team of advisers, who work tirelessly to deliver the best service, regardless of race or gender.

But Ken Livingstone wasn’t going to let it lie. A letter by the former Mayor in the Guardian today states:

The facts are simple. Five women occupied positions at the most senior level in the GLA group at the end of my administration – those one level down from the mayor, as chair or chief executive of functional bodies, statutory deputy mayor, or directors/deputy mayors. The replacement for every single one of these under Johnson was a man, or the post was abolished. In mid-June a second wave of the removal of four senior women officials occurred and only one of the replacements was a woman.

Three posts at the most senior level in my administration were held by members of ethnic minorities. None are so held under Johnson. His appointees which he names, Kulveer Ranger and Munira Mirza, are not appointments at the most senior level but in terms of salary at the second and third level.

This is one of the most complete purges ever carried out of women and ethnic minorities in any administration, and shows that Johnson’s claims to have an administration representative of London, and drawing on all its talents, are purely words.
Ken Livingstone