Ray Lewis maintains that the allegations are “unfounded, in my opinion” and states that he will “fight on” despite his resignation.
Update: Boris has issued this statement:
“It is with extreme reluctance and sadness that I have accepted the resignation of Ray Lewis. He has always been, and remains, an inspiring figure to me. Ray is not a conventional politician but that is a strength as well as a weakness. Ray can communicate and connect with communities and individuals that are beyond the reach of most mainstream politicians.
‘Therefore when presented with a string of unsubstantiated allegations my instinct was to fight and fight hard for Ray. I still hope that he can clear his name. I cannot deny however that my confidence in Ray was shaken by the discovery today that he is not a fully fledged Justice of the Peace and I cannot deny that to be misled on this issue has made it harder for me to give Ray the backing necessary to continue in his role as Deputy Mayor”.
One thing puzzles me about this statement. Why was nobody aware that Ray Lewis was not a Justice of the Peace when only a cursory check would have given the answer? Are standards really so lax in city hall?
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3 responses so far ↓
How can he fight on when he’s already lost?
Ian,
His claim is that he resigned to prevent Boris’s work from being obscured. He still denies that initial allegations and will be fighting against them.
I doubt very much that the credentials of any of Boris’s new appointments were checked or that CVs were even submitted - the whole coterie just appeared, fully formed.