Appearing in front of a committee of MPs earlier this week, Lord Geidt faced a tricky interrogation. In that time, he acknowledged it was “reasonable” to suggest that Boris Johnson had broken the Ministerial Code. He did not resign then. He has now.
It seems as if the session in Parliament was the straw that broke the ethics adviser’s back. Lord Geidt’s departure means that the Prime Minister is now looking for his third Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, with the last two having quit on his watch.
The statement that accompanied Lord Geidt’s resignation was shorter than many tweets: “With regret, I feel that it is right that I am resigning from my post as Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.” The Government is right to now publish the resignation letter in full — the public is entitled to expect this basic level of transparency over an issue of such importance.
Attention will inevitably turn to Lord Geidt’s replacement. It is an important role that should be filled quickly and by a first-rate appointee, though it is unclear who would want to risk their reputation at this point by taking it. Nonetheless, do send your CVs in.
Plug It In, London, for a cleaner future
Air pollution is a silent killer, with up to 36,000 deaths a year attributed to long-term exposure. Toxic air has been linked to the development of strokes, heart disease and exacerbates asthma.
So today, on Clean Air Day, the Standard is launching our Plug It In campaign — to transform London into the world city of clean, electric power. We know demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is accelerating rapidly — the number of EVs registered in London increased by 60 per cent last year, taking the total to 86,568. Next, we need to turbo-charge this.
The Standard has long campaigned to improve our city’s air quality. Now, the plan is to bring together stakeholders across the public and private sectors to develop a holistic, city-wide approach to drag London’s infrastructure to where it needs to be: fully-fledged electric. From private vehicles to delivery vans and buses, no sector or mode of transport can be left behind.
To do this, we need to install tens of thousands more charging points by 2030 and place them in all parts of the capital, not just the wealthy areas. There can be no charging deserts in our electric environment.
There will be road bumps along the way. This will prove an enormous undertaking. But as Sadiq Khan reminds us in today’s paper, the cost of inaction — to our health and economy — far outweighs the cost of transitioning to net zero. And it could not be more urgent.
Pets for tenants
As part of sweeping changes to the private rental sector, tenants can expect to be given the option to keep a pet.
This is surely right. Given that London has become a rental city, and not just for the young, many people have been precluded from enjoying the things that those fortunate enough to own their own home have, including pets. Others live in fear that their landlord might discover a water bowl in the living room.
This represents a small change that would make a big difference to Londoners.
