Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said Veronica Wadley, editor of the Evening Standard, must sack Andrew Gilligan after his story in the Evening Standard was demolished by a search of the records of the London Development Agency.

Andrew Gilligan in this morning’s Evening Standard alleges that the London Development Agency was corruptly pressured to pay £250,000 to a  ‘friend’ of the Mayor’s adviser Lee Jasper. Richard Barnes is quoted as stating this reveals a “tide of corruption”.

This charge is entirely false. No such £250,000 was ever paid either to those in Mr Gilligan’s allegations or anyone else. This has been confirmed by a search of LDA records this morning.

Furthermore to prove his allegations of a “mayor aide scandal” Gilligan totally misrepresents an email from Lee Jasper. The email in fact shows that instead of favouring Diversity International Limited (DI) Mr Jasper stated: “I am also reminded that I expressed very real doubts about the LDA procuring DI at the point of the contract being agreed – expressed by myself and GLA officers repeatedly once we were aware of the LDA’s decision to give this contract to DI.”

Ken Livingstone said:
‘The release of this information gives proof of Andrew Gilligan’s dirty and mendacious campaign. The ‘£250,000 payment’ was not in fact given to anyone.

‘Gilligan has also misrepresented emails in breathtaking fashion to suggest that Lee Jasper supported an organisation whereas the full email shows the exact opposite – that Lee Jasper in fact expressed doubts about giving this organisation a contract.

‘On 5 December Andrew Gilligan charged that the LDA may have been intimidated by threats of black gang violence into giving grants to black organizations and that a project funded by the LDA was a “vibrant hub for criminals”. No evidence for either of these charges has been presented’

‘Following these revelations of his further false charges it is clear the Standard must apologise and Gilligan should be sacked.’