Tony Travers:
The rococo coincidence that London mayor Boris Johnson is chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) and also one of the alleged targets of hacking further exemplifies the accountability problem. MPA members are quoted in the Guardian today criticising Johnson for not demanding that Sir Paul Stephenson, the commissioner, explain to him (Johnson) why he (Stephenson) had not passed on the information to him (Johnson) that he (Johnson) was the victim of phone hacking. Boris Johnson argues it would "not be right" for him, as MPA chair, to intervene. In the circumstances, it is hard to see what would be the right thing to do.
Yes indeed. Now read on.
