BoJo abandons minimum wage pledge
BoJo appears to enjoy abandoning election promises. Today, one on the living wage:
London Mayor Boris Johnson has reneged on a pre-election promise that only hotels and restaurants paying a ‘London living wage’ would be promoted by Visit London ahead of the 2012 Olympics.
Johnson, who increased the London living wage from £7.20 to £7.45 an hour earlier this month, made the vow at an election debate held by campaign group London Citizens in Westminster on 9 April.
The Mayor initially denied making the promise in a letter to Caterersearch, but when we presented his press office with video proof, he then sent an updated letter, in which he claimed a partnership with businesses would be a more effective way of implementing a London-wide living wage.
In the updated letter, Johnson said: “During my election campaign, I supported a list of proposals on the living wage that included this idea. However, further work in this area has made it clear that a positive approach of partnership with business to promote the London living wage is more appropriate, and likely to be more effective in achieving the key goal of the wider implementation of the living wage.”
Emphasis mine. Let’s translate that statement:
“I broke a pledge made during the election, probably because I can’t be bothered to implement it. Because to do so, I’d need to put the squeeze on tight employers and make sure they paid decent wages. Instead, I’d prefer a few dinners - sorry, partnership- building exercises - with them. Thus, I can claim all of the credit while delivering nothing myself.”
If, of course, he ever meant it. The Mayor made that pledge, you may recall, at the London Citizens’ hustings while under intense abuse from the audience for his original opposition to the minimum wage. Who wouldn’t say a few shallow words at the start of the evening to silence the hecklers for the night?
Although it’s still customary to keep even false promises…
(Hat-tip: Dave Hill)
[...] this one has done the rounds, but Douglas Johnson nails it: The Mayor made that pledge, you may recall, at the London Citizens’ hustings while under [...]