Mayor Livingstone defends staff

Mr Livingstone said he trusted adviser Lee Jasper 'with my life'
London's mayor has defended his staff after a senior adviser resigned after lying to him about taking a free trip.

Rosemary Emodi, deputy to chief race adviser Lee Jasper, admitted accepting a free luxury resort trip in Nigeria despite an earlier public denial.

Ken Livingstone said he would have fired Ms Emodi had he known the truth and that he trusted Mr Jasper.

Earlier, Conservatives called for an inquiry into corruption allegations at the London Development Agency (LDA).

Initial denial

Ms Emodi initially denied spending a weekend at a £200-a-night La Campagne Tropicana resort in Nigeria last November, paid for by her hosts.

Nigerian websites reported that she was there to finalise a link with Kamp Afrika which runs educational retreats for young people. But the mayor's office had given no approval for any official link-up with Kamp Afrika.

As a senior employee, Ms Emodi would be required to clear any official business in advance or, with private trips, declare on the register of interest that she had received free flights and accommodation.

The Greater London Authority (GLA) backed Ms Emodi's denial, before she resigned on Tuesday after admitting she had lied to them.

"When someone looks you in the eye and gives you an absolutely categorical assurance I tend to accept that"
Ken Livingstone

On Wednesday, Mr Livingstone told BBC London that the GLA questioned Ms Emodi about the allegations against her before initially defending her.

"When someone looks you in the eye and gives you an absolutely categorical assurance I tend to accept that," he said.

Ms Emodi was accompanied on her trip by Eroll Walters, the director of community group Brixton Base Limited, head of the Black Londoners Forum and a friend of the mayor's advisor Mr Jasper.

Mr Livingstone denied he had lost control of his staff, saying Ms Emodi lied despite being "grilled relentlessly" on the matter by senior staff.

Earlier this month, an internal LDA review cleared Mr Jasper over claims by the Evening Standard newspaper about the funding of black organisations.

The mayor said Mr Jasper had "absolute integrity" and was the target of a "huge smear campaign" by the Evening Standard.

Earlier on Wednesday, Tory MP Greg Hands called for a Commons inquiry into corruption allegations at the LDA, and into Mr Livingstone's role as mayor.

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