• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

I can’t get excited by the latest Boris ‘scandal’

January 18, 2009 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

Today’s Independent carries a report that Boris Johnson used £1,955.25 of taxpayers’ money to pay for his hotel room at the last year’s Conservative Party conference.

I’m sure we’re meant to be horrified over this ‘revelation’ but I can’t really get very excited about yet another ‘Boris in trouble’ story because, in the scheme of past GLA expense rows, £2k is a pathetically small sum almost unworthy of notice in the wake of multi-thousand pound taxi bills for Assembly Members (which even managed to catch poor Konnie Huq in the crossfire) and £30k trips to Cuba.

According to the Independent, Boris’s office says he attended in his capacity as Mayor and that the spending wasn’t a case of using public funds for political purposes. Personally, if Boris says he stayed in the hotel solely in his capacity as Mayor and dreamt only Mayoral dreams in his taxpayer-funded bed I’m prepared to take his word for it.

That said, he did find time to engage in political knockabout which probably isn’t the best way to spend any part of a trip being paid for by the public when you’re talking up your commitment to providing value for the GLA precept.

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

RECENT UPDATES

Record number of candidates stand in London’s Mayoral election

TfL and Siemens unveil new Piccadilly line Tube train designs

852 new homes to be built in Acton by Transport for London

HGV operators in London urged to apply for a Direct Vision Standard permit




POPULAR

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.