Partner: Emma Beal was reported to earn £96,000 as Ken Livingstone's administration manager
Posted on 06/18/2008 8:43:52 PM PDT by Stoat
Boris Johnson continued his City Hall clear-out today as five senior staff known as "Ken's wimmin" lost their jobs.
Ken Livingstone's partner Emma Beal, who was employed by the ex-Mayor as his "administration manager", was the most high profile of those whose posts were axed.
But in a drive against political correctness, Mr Johnson also decided to scrap the post of "women's adviser", held by Labour activist Anni Marjoram.
Others whose jobs were deleted were Mr Livingstone's Left-wing cultural and events adviser, Jude Woodward, his planning chief Eleanor Young and his "senior policy adviser on the creative industries" Emma St Giles.
The Greater London Authority's Business, Management Appointments Committee decided to lose the five women at its meeting today, the Standard has learned.
Technically, the committee was acting on the recommendation of City Hall's chief executive Anthony Mayer but it is understood that Mayor Johnson was the main driver behind the move.
Insiders say the atmosphere at City Hall has been "transformed" since Mr Johnson took office.
Staff previously had to follow a strict system of referring even minor matters to their senior officers, often with the deputy chief of staff required to rubber stamp decisions, it is claimed.
Tories had dubbed the coterie of senior women around Mr Livingstone "Ken's wimmin", a reference to the fact that many of them were Labour supporters and seen as having formed close personal relationships with the former Mayor.
The total salary cost of the five women is believed to top £400,000.
Mr Livingstone's partner Ms Beal, 42, who is mother of two of his children, will have her duties subdivided and shared among other staff now working at City Hall.
Her role was also notable as there have been claims that she was paid £96,000 even though Mr Livingstone also employed his long-standing secretary.
Ms Marjoram, 58, was long viewed suspiciously by Conservatives because she stood as a Labour candidate for Parliament in Finchley. One insider said Mr Johnson felt that the post of "women's adviser" was a "throwback to the Eighties GLC".
Ms Young was Mr Livingstone's "senior policy adviser for planning" and her duties will be largely taken over by Boris's planning adviser Sir Simon Milton.
Ms Woodward is the most contentious of the five as she is a member of Socialist Action, the secretive far-Left group seen as having run City Hall for the past eight years.
Other key members of Socialist Action were said to include Redmond O'Neill, the ex-Mayor's deputy chief of staff, and John Ross, his economics adviser.
Ms St Giles, 40, who used to work in PR, is also seen as particularly close to Mr Livingstone because she helped run his campaign in 2000.
Mr Johnson came under fire this week for dumping the anti-racist message of the annual Rise festival.
Cultural adviser Munira Mirza said the move was part of a drive to drop the political correctness of Mr Livingstone's regime.
Others whose jobs were deleted were Mr Livingstone's Left-wing cultural and events adviser, Jude Woodward, his planning chief Eleanor Young and his "senior policy adviser on the creative industries" Emma St Giles.
(edit)
Ms Woodward is the most contentious of the five as she is a member of Socialist Action, the secretive far-Left group seen as having run City Hall for the past eight years.
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BTT. Give ‘em hell, Boris. “Socialist Action” takes a hike and I’m lifting a pint to the guy who did it. Rule Britannia, baby.
Indeed!
Isn't it amusing (or sad, depending upon how one may choose to look at it) that here in the USA we are constantly told by the dinosaur media and the Dems that we are so very backward politically, socially, culturally and economically, and what we really need to do is to emulate the European Socialists, who are so much wiser and more intelligent than we dumb old Yanks are. And of course we must embrace B. Hussein Obama in order to accomplish that essential task.
Yet, every time the people are actually allowed to have a voice, so very often (not always, unfortunately) the people of Great Britain as well as elsewhere in Europe will reject Socialism and the policies that 'our' Dems would have us adopt.
PFFFFT!
Mr. Johnson is chewing bubble gum AND kicking ass.
He will definitely be one to watch over the next several years, and if his reforms can be sustained his model will serve as an example to many other big cities that have been rotting away under the hideous cancer of Socialist administrations.
If he's successful, London can be a beacon of hope to all those who have become disheartened by the corruption that the Left has inflicted upon their cities.
good for him
I spoke to a few people last weekend who were on holiday over in florida.
They came from just outside London but grew up in London, they told me that the mejority of people were so happy to have finally got rid of red ken.
Of ocurse the muslims, who red ken appeased to and the radical far left will try to do everything they can to get rid of Boris but as long as he sticks to his guns then he will be fine.
Thanks Stoat for letting me know this and hopefully with his election the country of Britain will follow suit.
I bet the likes of the BBC and the guardian will not be happy that a clear out of far left corrupted loons is happening
I advise to only hire babes from now on, like in Italy. Phew, there were some rough looking “wimmin” in this crowd.
and yet if the far left worked wonders then why do the majority of Britain’s want to leave.
Maybe those who love Britain’s system can move there and those who live there who hate it which is most of the country can move here.
I bet those who move to Britain will move back to America in a heart beat.
I have lived the medical care in England, you wait months and sometimes years for an operation, yet here I was told I need an operation on my knee, guess what , I am going Friday for it, the whole process took just over two weeks
“Anni Marjoram, whose title was ‘women’s adviser’”
Crikey. That’s a man!
Finally someone has a pair of brass ones.
<<< I have lived the medical care in England, you wait months and sometimes years for an operation, yet here I was told I need an operation on my knee, guess what , I am going Friday for it, the whole process took just over two weeks >>>
Seems like a long wait. I waited a couple of days for my cartilage to be removed and 4 days to have my spleen removed. But there again, I was in the Army at the time. They didn’t mess around.
You're quite welcome and I share your hope.
I bet the likes of the BBC and the guardian will not be happy that a clear out of far left corrupted loons is happening
As of this moment, the BBC isn't even reporting on it. I suppose they have to have several staff meetings to figure out how to spin this so that it doesn't show it as such a black eye to the left.
"snicker"
Lady Thatcher must surely be smiling broadly today, and I'm certain that Admiral Lord Nelson is wearing a grand smile in Heaven as well.
Agreed. Socialism not only destroys the mind, it makes women ugly as well.
Wow. London is apparently as corrupt as any typical Democrat parasite nest (”city”) in the United States.
Maybe those who love Britain’s system can move there and those who live there who hate it which is most of the country can move here.
The hardcore Left wants to stay here, because it's easier for them to destroy America as well as Capitalism from up-close.
I bet those who move to Britain will move back to America in a heart beat.
During the last Presidential election here, there was all sorts of noise and hysteria about all of the liberals that were going to move to Canada if President Bush was reelected. It turns out that only about the normal number of people moved there, no particular spike at all.
It was all noise, which is normal for liberals....they love to talk, but when it comes down to actually DOING something, well, that's quite another matter....
I have lived the medical care in England, you wait months and sometimes years for an operation, yet here I was told I need an operation on my knee, guess what , I am going Friday for it, the whole process took just over two weeks
I'm delighted that you were able to get quick service, and you'll be in my prayers for a successful operation and a speedy recovery :-)
Crikey. That’s a man!
I know! Just awful!!
((((shudder))))
Conservatism not only makes the world a wonderful place, it makes women beautiful as well :-)
Let's hope that he doesn't go wobbly when things get rough!
But it is indeed wonderful to see such a delightful housecleaning, isn't it?
Agreed.
Socialism and Leftists will do their utmost to change their names and superficially remake themselves to suit different places and circumstances, but once you get past the veneer it's all just the same old corrupt Marxist, anti-Capitalist garbage.
Atleast he doesn’t look like he is inferring. It looks like he is actually doing.
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