Boris to homeless: My house is worth shedloads
By John Dunne
Boris Johnson was under fire today after boasting to homeless people that he lived in a big Islington house worth "shedloads of money".
The gaffe-prone Tory had managed to steer clear of controversy in his bid to be elected London Mayor until last night's housing hustings organised by homeless charities Shelter, Crisis and St Mungo's. Asked to describe his home, and how much it cost, Johnson, 43, said: "I have four children and a big house in Islington which is worth shedloads [more than £1m].
The gaffe follows reports that Old Etonian Johnson, who has a ten lead in the polls, has been kept on a tight leash by his Australian campaign manager Lynton Crosby. He will not appear at hustings organised by Time Out magazine this evening and his rivals believe he is being muzzled - a claim his team have denied.
Johnson has a track record for controversy: he described Africans as having "water-melon smiles" and talked of "piccaninnies".
His opponents in the race for London Mayor were more modest in describing their living arrangements at the hustings in Westminster. Ken Livingstone, 63, said that his Victorian home was worth up to £450,000, although he had bought it for only £160,000 in 1989. And Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick, 49, said he had forked ou £325,000 for his riverside flat in Vauxhall, even though it was tiny.