Boris Johnson Islington schools insult condemned by Islington MP and Ken Livingstone campaign
An insult by Boris Johnson against state schools in the London borough of Islington has been condemned by Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn and Ken Livingstone's campaign for Mayor. The Times today quotes Boris Johnson as saying he ‘extracted' his children from schools in Islington.
The Times reports:
‘He gives money to three of our most prestigious private schools - two of them in London - in the form of school fees. His four children started at their local state primary but when secondary loomed, "because we live in Islington, I extracted them". Only one remains there. "I have no embarrassment about it whatever," he says, but at the same time he talks passionately about the problems caused by middle-class flight from state education.'
A spokesperson for the Ken Livingstone campaign said:
"Boris Johnson can decide where he chooses to send his children to school, but it is unacceptable to insult the parents and teachers of Islington's schools in this way. For Boris Johnson to say that he does not send his children to a state school simply because he lives in Islington is disdainful to every parent and teacher in the London borough of Islington.
"Boris Johnson's statement is one of his typical insults - in this case to Islington.
"Boris Johnson has previously gratuitously insulted Liverpool, Portsmouth and other places and he now appears to start doing it with parts of the city he claims he wants to be Mayor of. It shows how completely out of touch he is with the reality and needs of London."
Islington MP Jeremy Corbyn said:
"Our schools have all benefited from new investment and dedicated teachers, and they deserve support from all politicians not contempt like this from Boris Johnson."
In addition to his attack on Islington the interview also shows Boris Johnson's proposal to rely on volunteering, as opposed to providing decent public provision, to be completely personally fake.
The Times reports:
"So what voluntary work does Mr Johnson do? He pauses, gawps. ‘I do what I can.' Which is? ‘What I try to do is on the educational front. I give some money to various educational things, charities and schools . . .' He is sounding rather vague. ‘I certainly give my share of talks and lessons and whatever else.' So do all politicians: sometimes it's called campaigning."
A spokesperson for Ken Livingstone campaign said:
"Earlier this week independent transport experts confirmed that Boris Johnson has completely incompetently undercosted his bus policies by a £100 million a year. He was now he has started to insult parts of London.
"Any candidate for which the main media priority is to prevent him making a new blunder is a not a person capable of being a competent Mayor of a great city like London."
Notes to editors
The Times interview with Boris Johnson is at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3556402.ece
The confirmation by independent transport experts of Boris Johnson's £100 million a year blunder in costing his bus programme is at http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/mar/14/london08.boris