Today's hot live action from City Hall will be Boris Johnson's fourth Mayor's Question Time, where members of the London Assembly have two and a half hours to quiz him on any issues that concern them in front of a gallery of Londoners. Though long, these occasions have been entertaining so far, spiced by the presence of Ken Livingstone, the persistent attempts of Labour AM John Biggs to wind Mayor Johnson up and the latter's characteristic evasions of awkward lines of attack using humour, tactical magnanimity and Latin.
Among the items to be discussed this time that hold special interest for me are Green AM Jenny Jones' listed question about the redevelopment of Queen's Market in Newham - the subject of a well-organised community campaign against (among other things) plans to erect a 31 storey skyscraper - and the release of details of Sir Simon Milton's heavily-trailed restructuring of Johnson's thus far chaotically-run administration. As with publication of the Conservative Audit Panel (in-joke) report on GLA group spending, this isn't on the MQT schedule but will be announced by The Blond during his opening report.
I know this because my many spies at City Hall – a tightly-knit cell of ruthless, secretive, Chavez-worshipping, Livingstone-loyalist Trotskyite fanatics, as I'm sure 2012 mayoral candidate Atma Singh would confirm – have told me so. Apparently, Sir Simon – Johnson's new "chief enforcer", as we've learned – will thereafter be "briefing" the bureaucracy's directorates before giving a "verbal update" on his plans to the Assembly's long-exasperated Business Management and Administration Committee in the afternoon.
I'll soon be jumping on a number 48 to watch MQT first hand, having first had a look at a demonstration planned by the Queen's Market campaigners outside the premises. If you can't join me, watch the live webcast. You can follow the BMAC proceedings by the same means. I'll be back to report by around 2.30 this afternoon unless, for example, I'm detained by Sir Simon offering me some lucrative position ensuring the delivery of Mayor Johnson's glorious vision for our capital. It'll either be that or annoying roadworks in Bishopsgate. See you later.
