Rift in a lift as Boris swears at Ken over tax avoidance claim
BORIS Johnson yesterday called Ken Livingstone a “f***ing liar” in the aftermath of a bruising debate that touched on Johnson’s personal income tax status.
The current Mayor of London came “nose to nose” in a lift with his Labour opponent after Livingstone, who has been dogged by accusations of tax avoidance on personal income, claimed that his opponent had a similar arrangement.
“The simple fact is that Boris and myself are in exactly the same position. We both had media earnings. We both put them through a company. You have to pay on the money that you take out,” he said.
The brief altercation was witnessed by Brian Paddick, the Lib Dem candidate, Green Jenny Jones and a LBC executive.
Johnson reportedly lost his cool, telling Livingstone that it’s “all f***ing lies, it’s all f***ing lies”.
Earlier he said: “I pay income tax, I’m proud of it. It’s pretty disgraceful to be attacked by Ken Livingstone, someone who deliberately set up a tax dodging manoeuvre and then denounced everyone else who did so.”
A spokesperson for Ken Livingstone said: “Boris Johnson lost his temper because he lost the debate – he talked about cable cars not cutting fares and the squeeze on Londoners.”