I am afraid you have got only part of the story. The Conservative Members did not walk out to avoid the Blackfriars debate and we are still in direct discussion with the Mayor and his Transport advisors about the situation because it is the Mayor who has the final decision.
We walked out of the Chamber because Labour and Green Members refused after several invitations to condemn and disown Labour candidate Ken Livingstone, who last week described, in a most offensive and unacceptable way, Edward Lister, the Mayor's Chief of Staff and former long-time Leader of Wandsworth Council, as "the Radko Mladic of local government". What follows here tells you what you should know:-
" The London Assembly has condemned former Mayor Ken Livingstone for describing Boris Johnson's new Chief of Staff Edward Lister as "the Radko Mladic of local government" at a public event last week.
Livingstone is challenging successor Boris Johnson at next year's Mayoral elections.
On Wednesday Assembly Members passed a motion condemning Livingstone's remarks after questioning Lister on his past policies at Wandsworth and the advice he'll provide to the Mayor in future.
Conservative AMs proposed the motion which also welcomed Lister's appointment to his new role following the death of Sir Simon Milton.
The motion was backed by Liberal Democrats on the Assembly however Green Party AM Darren Johnson said he condemned Livingstone's comments but was unwilling to back the uncritical description of Lister's past record in the motion.
Labour AMs voted against the motion which was passed 13 votes in favour to 8 against with one abstention.
Before the vote Livingstone's running-mate Val Shawcross, who was present when the remark was made, said it was a "bad joke" which she did not agree with. Conservative AM Brian Coleman said her remarks would "haunt her".
Richard Tracey JP AM
