Even more on Lee Jasper/Ken Livingstone

Quite a long article this time, so go read it all here.

Here's a taster...

"A cross-party group of MPs from the capital has called for a full inquiry into the Mayor and his London Development Agency over allegations that cash was misappropriated by friends of Mr Livingstone's adviser Lee Jasper.

The MPs - one Labour, one Liberal Democrat, and one Conservative - accused the LDA of "misrepresenting" its own internal review into a number of suspect projects paid millions of pounds in public money....

The LDA has published its own internal review into suspect projects - but it mentions only six of the 13 identified by the Standard.

All 13, run by friends and business associates of Mr Jasper, have received large sums of LDA money but have little, if anything, to show for it. Several have failed to account for the money.

The total amount paid by City Hall to the 13 suspect organisations is at least £3.3 million....

In press releases on Friday, the LDA and the Mayor claimed the review had concluded that allegations of impropriety were "unfounded." Mayoral press officers claimed Mr Jasper had been cleared. In fact, when the review was later published, it became clear that three of the projects were to be reported to the police.

A fourth is already under police investigation and a fifth may be referred to police subject to the outcome of an audit."


Wouldn't you have thought that this was a major story? Strange how the BBC are playing it down quite so carefully. Do you think they are worried that any publicity might impact on the London Mayoral Elections and affect their candidate, Ken Livingstone.