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Boris Johnson MP's last contribution to the Commons gets edited by Hansard

Mr. Speaker: I call Boris Johnson.

Boris Johnson MP: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for all your kindness over the years.  Can I use my last few seconds in this great cockpit of our nation to ask the Prime Minister to join me in congratulating the London authorities on successfully implementing the ban on alcohol on tubes and buses, and on doubling the safer transport teams so that we will have more uniformed people on buses than at any time in the last 25 years? Can I point out to him that no matter how hard working—

Mr. Speaker: "Order—[Hon. Members: “More!”] I am the boss in here, not the Mayor, and I have got to tell him that he should only have one supplementary. He has had three, so we will have to leave it at that."

The Prime Minister: "I am sure that the whole House is going to miss the contributions of the hon. Gentleman, not only in speech, but in writing—those have been more significant over the last few years.  I welcome the ban on alcohol. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will agree that the policy put forward by the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families earlier this week to deal with the problems of alcohol among young people is a major step forward in holding parents, as well as young people, responsible for binge drinking. I hope that he will also accept that the reason that crime has fallen in London is that there are 6,000 more police officers and 4,000 community support officers. That would not have been possible without the previous Mayor and the decisions of this Government."

Our comment: Interesting that the Hansard editors have taken out The Speaker's inaccurate reference to Boris Johnson as the Lord Mayor and simply stated Mayor.

Hansard.

Boris Johnson quickly corrects the Prime Minister's 'inadvertent misleading of the Commons'

What the Prime Minister said during PMQs:

"In the London area alone, there are 6,000 more police than there were in 1997. As my hon. Friend rightly said, in graphic detail, crime is down in his constituency. The choice in London will be between an administration that wants to employ more police and wants to get crime down, and what the hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Johnson) has said, which is that he wishes to cut spending on the Metropolitan police. That would be disastrous for the police, disastrous for London and bad for the whole country."

Boris Johnson was quickly up on his feet at the end of PMQs to correct the Prime Minister:

"Boris Johnson MP: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Since I am sure that the Prime Minister inadvertently misled the House when he said I wanted to cut spending on— [Interruption.]

Mr Speaker: Order. I need to hear the hon. Gentleman’s point of order. I am the only one who has to stay and listen to it.

Mr Johnson: I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for staying. Since I am sure that the Prime Minister inadvertently misled the House when he said that I wanted to cut spending on the Metropolitan police, and since that is the exact opposite of the case—I want to get more police officers out on the beat to reverse the rise in violent crime over the past eight years and to restore to our streets, buses and station platforms a sense of safety and security—will you, Mr. Speaker, ask him to come as soon as possible to this Chamber to rectify that mistake?

Mr Speaker: The hon. Gentleman has put the record straight—and very swiftly at that."

Source.

3pm: Watch the exchange.

Signatories to Boris Johnson's EDM against BNP

Peter Bottomley, Tim Loughton and Bob Spink sign Boris Johnson's EDM against the BNP in London.

Any further names of signatories will be added in due course.

ConservativeHome first covered this story on Tuesday.

Friday 14th update: Julian Lewis, Henry Bellingham, Rudi Vis (Labour) and Graham Stuart add their names to Boris Johnson's EDM.

The 'One London' campaign meanwhile is disputing Boris Johnson's understanding of the GLA budgetary process as implied in the EDM.  Johnson responded here, via MayorWatch.

Boris Johnson initiates EDM against BNP in London

This has been issued by Boris Johnson MP:

“This House notes that in May 2008 there is a possibility that at least two members of the BNP will gain a seat on the London Assembly. As things currently stand there is a grave risk of these two members of the BNP having a deciding vote on the Mayor’s budget. This is a potentially disastrous situation in which a future Mayor of any party could depend on BNP support to pass his budget. We call upon all politicians from all parties to denounce the BNP in London and ask for all politicians to work together to combat anyone who seeks to play the race card in London politics. We call upon the Government to use its powers to combat this very real threat.”