Another day, another disposable deputy wheeled out of the spinning doors at City Hall.

“Ian Clement, Deputy Mayor for Government and External Relations, has resigned from the Greater London Authority (GLA) with immediate effect. He tendered his resignation to the Mayor of London this morning following the discovery of further discrepancies in the use of his corporate credit card. The Mayor has accepted Mr Clement’s resignation. His position will be filled in due course.”

You do have to wonder just what has been going on in Boris Johnson’s administration.

The man walks in dishing out vanity titles to any local big-wig, financial whizz kid, or snake-oil salesman who wants one, and then stands in amazement as they fall down around him.

And even after four of his other senior aides were forced out last year he’s still not learnt his lesson.

Last July when his then Chief of Staff (since resigned) appeared before the London Assembly he said that it would have been too “ball-breaking” for Boris to do the proper checks on Ray Lewis, before adding that:

“we all knew Ray and believed in him… It did not occur to us to doubt any of this stuff.”

The line from Boris’s spokespeople today was much the same. Clement was an elected councillor, who had been scutinised by his electorate, so why should Boris have doubted him?

But how difficult would it have been for them to have at least found this story about Ian Clement before giving him a corporate credit card? One “ball-breaking” Google search?

Or failing that, how difficult would it have been to have worked out what he was doing with that card in this past year? One quick look at his receipts?

In Boris’s statement today he said that:

“In the light of the further discrepancies in your expenses that have emerged this morning, it is clear to both of us that your position is untenable.”

But these “discrepancies” didn’t just emerge this morning. They emerged in the bulk of receipts that his own office and Bexley Council released last week. Receipts that were released only after Liberal Conspiracy’s own Dave Hill started asking questions.

Did Boris even bother to read these receipts before offering Clement his backing?

What is he doing with his time up there in City Hall?

Update: A formal complaint has now been made to Scotland Yard (by the BNP)

About the author
Adam Bienkov is a regular contributor and also blogs at Tory Troll, Guardian CIF, Greenwich.co.uk and New Statesman
· Other posts by Adam Bienkov


Story Filed Under: Blog ,London Mayor

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1. Liberal Conspiracy

   New post: Boris’s Deputy resigns over credit card claims http://bit.ly/3wPBU0

2. Tim Ireland

   RT @libcon New post: Boris’s Deputy resigns over credit card claims http://bit.ly/3wPBU0

3. Adam Bienkov

   @pickledpolitics I’ve just posted it: http://bit.ly/3wPBU0

4. Adam Bienkov

   Slightly more from me on Clement over at Liberal Conspiracy http://bit.ly/3wPBU0

5. Paranormal Guru

   Liberal Conspiracy » Boris's Deputy resigns over credit card claims: Receipts that were released only after .. http://bit.ly/rpMST

6. sunny hundal

   Boris deputy resigns today, no one notices. Now police called in to investigate, will anyone care? (via @AdamBienkov ) http://tr.im/po4z

7. fredharrison

   RT @pickledpolitics: Boris deputy resigns today, no one notices. Now police called in to investigate.. (via @AdamBienkov ) http://tr.im/po4z

8. Liberal Conspiracy

   New post: Boris’s Deputy resigns over credit card claims http://bit.ly/3wPBU0

9. Tim Ireland

   RT @libcon New post: Boris’s Deputy resigns over credit card claims http://bit.ly/3wPBU0

10. Adam Bienkov

    @pickledpolitics I’ve just posted it: http://bit.ly/3wPBU0

11. Adam Bienkov

    Slightly more from me on Clement over at Liberal Conspiracy http://bit.ly/3wPBU0

12. Paranormal Guru

    Liberal Conspiracy » Boris’s Deputy resigns over credit card claims: Receipts that were released only after .. http://bit.ly/rpMST

13. sunny hundal

    Boris deputy resigns today, no one notices. Now police called in to investigate, will anyone care? (via @AdamBienkov ) http://tr.im/po4z

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