Page "Brian Coleman" Paragraph 10

An article by Coleman entitled " Politics and alcohol " for the New Statesman in August 2007 made allegations that Sir Ian Blair the Metropolitan Police Commissioner was " somewhat the worse for wear at a number of official functions " and " needed assistance from his protection officers to manage the stairs ".

Mayor Ken Livingstone was reported to have responded that " The London Assembly should stop giving a platform to a person who in addition to putting out all sorts of smears and gossip is also a dyed-in-the-wool Thatcherite who in no way represents the views of most Londoners ".