New Clause 15
Greater London Authority Bill
11:45 am
Michael Gove (Shadow Minister (Housing), Communities and Local Government; Surrey Heath, Conservative)
I am disappointed that the Minister declines to speak warmly of the amendment, let alone to support it. I am surprised that she seeks to shelter behind the lord mayor’s carriage to avoid expressing any view on issues of political moment to Londoners. In a way, I am not surprised that she has done so. It seems to be a rather tragic example of political cowardice at a time when the country is crying out for political leadership that she should decline to offer any opinion about one of this country’s most famous Labour politicians and his embrace of authoritarian regimes and mediaeval theocratic ideologues, but I think that Londoners can draw an appropriate inference from her silence on such matters. Her Pontius Pilate approach does not reflect well on her or the Government.
It is quite clear from the Government’s approach that they are perfectly happy to play a double game. They are happy to allow Ken Livingstone to run a foreign policy in London in order to gather votes from one particular constituency and at the same time, with the voice of the Foreign Office, to run a foreign policy more closely in tune with the country’s interests. Londoners will draw an appropriate conclusion about the cynicism of the Government from the way that the Mayor is operating at a deniable distance for electoral reasons. For that reason, I believe that this debate has served its purpose. I beg to ask leave to withdraw the motion.