Boris welcomes disciplinary inquiry
Thursday, 8 January 2009 12:00 AM
London Mayor Boris Johnson has welcomed an inquiry into his behaviour during the police investigation into shadow immigration minister Damian Green.
The investigation was confirmed late last night, several hours after politics.co.uk discovered the news through internal sources.
A spokesperson for the mayor said: "The mayor is pleased that the [standards] sub-committee has concluded that there is no need to refer this matter to the standards board for England and that they have not concluded that there were any breaches of the code of conduct.
"He welcomes their promise of a swift and 'proportionate' inquiry - hopefully at minimal expense to the London taxpayer."
The complaint was triggered when the mayor admitted talking to Mr Green after his arrest in November.
There are serious questions as to whether Mr Johnson, who is chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority, should have been in contact with a friend and colleague who is under police investigation.
His statements that the inquiry was unlikely to "yield... a successful prosecution" are thought by some to have potentially corrupted the investigation.
The investigation will prove embarrassing to the Tory mayor, who will now be investigated by the organisation which he only just took control over.
Mr Green was arrested last year over a series of leaked Home Office documents. He is currently on bail.
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