Examination of Witnesses (Questions 860
- 862)
TUESDAY 15 JULY 2008
MR BORIS
JOHNSON AND
MR KIT
MALTHOUSE
Q860 Chairman: I heard you on Radio
4 recently when you talked about the memorandum that was supposed
to be signed between Ken Livingstone and the present Prime Minister.
Were you able to find this memorandum? Does it exist?
Mr Johnson: I was asked whether
there was a secret memorandum, if you recall, Mr Vaz, and I am
delighted that you draw attention to this. I was asked to explain
the existence of a secret memorandum between the previous Mayor
and the Government by which London could be exposed to cost overruns
and London taxpayers could be asked to pay for any cost overruns.
I was able to assure my interviewer, and I assure you now, that
there is no secret memorandum. There are two memorandums: one
of 2003 and one of 2007. In the second, the material one is from
2007, it makes absolutely clear that London's contribution will
not increase in the event of cost overruns.
Q861 Martin Salter: Last time you
appeared before us as a candidate for the mayoral position and
we had an interchange on police numbers, you will recall. Over
the last five years, the forces surrounding the Metropolitan Police
area lost 1,000 officers to the Met as a result of a policy of
the Met deliberately poaching trained officers from neighbouring
forces, which is clearly good news for London and bad news for
the council taxpayers from the surrounding forces. Do you intend
to continue with that policy?
Mr Johnson: I remember this question
last time, Mr Salter. You brilliantly divided my loyalties. My
loyalties are of course no longer divided. That does not mean
that any recruitment policy that we pursue in the Met will be
remotely predatory or inimical to the interests of Thames Valley
policing.
Q862 Martin Salter: Mr Mayor, you
are advertising in Slough on bus stops about two miles from the
border. You are a predator in this regard. Be proud of it. Do
not apologise or do something about it.
Mr Johnson: Let me say that I
think the most important thing we can do for London and for Londoners
is not just to make sure that we have enough police out on the
streets, which is what we want to do and what I think to a very
large extent we are succeeding in doing; we have to make sure
that we increase police productivity and that they are doing what
we want them to do and what they want to do. That will be very
much the task of myself and Kit Malthouse in the MPA over the
next few years.
Martin Salter: Brilliantly dodged!
Chairman: Mr Mayor, we know you are extremely
busy and we are very grateful to you for fitting us in. Before
you came in, the committee had agreed to hold an inquiry into
knife crime later in the year. We will obviously be looking to
you and the Mayor's Office to help co-operate with this inquiry.
We hope you will be part of that inquiry later on, including of
course Mr Malthouse. Thank you for coming. Can we wish you the
best of luck in the task you have ahead.
| 
