Deputy Mayor Resigns, Boris Ruffled

By Hazel Last edited 188 months ago
Deputy Mayor Resigns, Boris Ruffled
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Boris Johnson's indignant inquiry into allegations against Deputy Mayor of London Ray Lewis is to be dropped... because Mr Lewis has resigned. Though it is possible for the inquiry to proceed without Mr Lewis in position, the Mayor's office has deemed it an unwise way to spend taxpayers' money and the investigation will not start tomorrow as scheduled.

The defensive nature of the press conference last week during which Mr Johnson stood side by side with Mr Lewis to receive questions from the media already looks hubristic; Mr Lewis offered his resignation when it was confirmed that Mr Johnson had been wrongly informed that Mr Lewis was a serving justice of the peace. He has never been a magistrate and this was the last straw, the final thread that needed only a little tug to unravel the whole story that would lead him to the door and out.

Mr Johnson accepted the resignation and spoke of his shaken confidence in Mr Lewis. Considering the multitude of allegations and relevations about Mr Lewis, that's a well shook up Mayor speaking: as well as misleading information about his role as magistrate, it has also emerged that Mr Lewis was not permitted to practice as a priest following allegations made against him in the late 1990s for financial irregularities including unpaid debts to parishioners and fellow priests.

This is the second resignation in Mayor of London Boris Johnson's senior team. Who next? What next? Discuss...

Last Updated 07 July 2008