Boris tries to cover up lies against #UKuncut


by Sunny Hundal    
May 24, 2011 at 1:36 pm

Last week, London Assembly Member Navin Shah asked this question of London Mayor Boris Johnson:

I have been contacted by a constituent who was confused about your response on Question Time on 1st April.

You said that the Fortnum and Mason protesters (part of UKUncut) did £15,000 worth of damage whilst occupying the shop. However, a spokesperson for Fortnum & Mason confirmed at the time that the damage was minimal. How can your claim of £15,000 be substantiated?

Did Mayor Boris Johnson admit he got it wrong? Did he apologise for libelling an organisation without merit?

Of course not.

This was the written response from Boris yesterday:

The point that I was making was that the occupation of Fortnum and Mason was pure vandalism and that UK Uncut is an organisation that is supported by the Labour Party’s candidate for Mayor of London as well as a number of Labour MPs.

UK Uncut’s press release about this action stated that Fortnum and Mason was occupied because it is “a symbol of wealth and greed. It is where the Royal Family and super-rich do their weekly shop.” The fact that Fortnum and Mason is owned by a charitable foundation, provides many jobs and pays its taxes was clearly lost on these “activists”.

Once again a dishonest Boris Johnson completely avoids the question.


---------------------------
      


About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments


1. tory

Sunnys friends is UKuncut smash up property.

Sunny demands apology from Johnson.

Beyond parody.

2. steve

UKuncut didn’t smash up the property though, did they Tory?

3. Watchman

I doubt that occupation/smashing up is going to be the great political interest here – Mr Johnson knows UKUncut are unpopular in general, and is just playing that fact for the galleries, and attempts to get factual accuracy are not working.

That said, he should be providing a direct answer, which is what is wrong here.

4. cherry

Tory, you’re an ill-educated lying troll

5. Barney

Maybe Boris has gone with the American Republican approach – make some figures up, and, if pushed, reply it was ‘not intended to be a factual statement‘.

6. Mark

And, as Private Eye pointed out at the time, calling Fortnum and Mason a charity is being a leetle disingenuous; it benefits from working as a charity, but that’s not the same as being a charity or having charitable aims.

7. Mark

@Barney – or, over here, ‘doing a Dorries’.

8. Arthur Seaton

UK Uncut are unpopular? Any evidence for that? Their tactics are supported by 3/4 of the population

http://www.leftfutures.org/2011/04/yougov-says-the-public-support-uk-uncut-tactics/

9. Arthur Seaton

Yes, Fortnum and Mason are up there with those other charitable institutions: Eton and Harrow.

10. Mark

Shock, horror. Politician doesn’t tell truth!

11. Watchman

Arthur,

73% of the population thinking “Peaceful civil disobedience (such as people
staging sit-ins or occupying shops)” is an acceptable way to protest is worryingly low actually. The question about acceptable ways to protest was not linked to UKUncut in any way and shows nothing about their levels of support – I would say yes for example, and I think UKUncut are idiots…

12. DavidP

Boris Johnson completely avoids the question, but also makes a good point. UKuncut really aren’t thinking thing through if the best symbol of ‘wealth and greed’ they can find to protest against is owned by a charity.

Why not go and occupy Royal Bank of Scotland’s head office?


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    Mayor Boris tries to cover up lies against #UKuncut http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  2. ChinstrapMcDouchebag

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  3. Adam Bienkov

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  4. Caspar 01

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  5. Double.Karma

    Mayor Boris tries to cover up lies against #UKuncut http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  6. Julia Hines

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  7. Stew Wilson

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  8. ANDREW JENNINGS

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  9. Black and Red

    So not only is @MayorOfLondon a liar, he won't even admit it when caught out: http://bit.ly/mcvOEq #UKuncut #fortnums #solidarity

  10. J-P Stacey

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  11. Paul Wood

    Mayor Boris tries to cover up lies against #UKuncut http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  12. Martin Day

    Mayor Boris tries to cover up lies against #UKuncut http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  13. Antony Crossfield

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  14. Lisa Egan

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  15. Richard Simcox

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  16. Sam Broughton

    So not only is @MayorOfLondon a liar, he won't even admit it when caught out: http://bit.ly/mcvOEq #UKuncut #fortnums #solidarity

  17. Tom Davies

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  18. Eli Davies

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  19. sunny hundal

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  20. David Andrew

    Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  21. Rooftop Jaxx

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  22. malcolm

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  23. Aaron Chandra

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  24. Double.Karma

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl

  25. Juliet

    Boris tries to cover up lies against #UKuncut | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/73yOgR9 via @libcon

  26. David M Gibson

    Mayor Boris tries to cover up lies against #UKuncut http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  27. Ceri

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  28. Owen Blacker

    London Mayor Boris claimed @UKuncut caused £15k of damage at Fortnums. When asked to substantiate it, he fumbles. http://bit.ly/mcvOEq

  29. TogetherForTransport

    So not only is @MayorOfLondon a liar, he won't even admit it when caught out: http://bit.ly/mcvOEq #UKuncut #fortnums #solidarity

  30. George Woods

    So not only is @MayorOfLondon a liar, he won't even admit it when caught out: http://bit.ly/mcvOEq #UKuncut #fortnums #solidarity

  31. David Poole

    Sample letter: Dear Boris, did @UKuncut cause £15k worth of damage at Fortnum and Mason or not? Yours [add name] http://is.gd/YWe7fl





  • We have a tight comments policy aimed at fostering constructive debate.
  • We believe in free speech but not your right to abuse our space.
  • Abusive, sarcastic or silly comments may be deleted.
  • Misogynist, racist, homophobic and xenophobic comments will be deleted.
  • Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy.

 
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