The Tottenham riot August 6/7 2011. Mayor Johnson was on holiday in Canada
On the night of Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th August in Tottenham there was a riot in Tottenham following the shooting dead of Mark Duggan by police several days earlier.
At the time the Mayor of London was Boris Johnson. He was of course on holiday at the time in Canada with his then wife Marina touring the Rockies in a Winnebago. According to his biographer Sonia Purnell Johnson doesn’t like holidays in Britain.
Prime Minister Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Clegg and Home Secretary May were also on holiday abroad.
City Hall tried to contact Johnson and get him to return. As Purnell notes ‘not for the first time..the cry went up: Where is Boris’.
Johnson was not minded to break off his holiday to deal with unrest that had now hit 29 of London’s 32 Boroughs.
On the Monday May returned to take charge followed by Cameron. Eventually Johnson appeared in London on the Wednesday.
By that time Cameron and Clegg had already visited Tottenham. Johnson made it on the late Wednesday afternoon. The press release I put out as the (then) Secretary of Haringey TUC is below.
Ignoring a crisis, returning late when he realised how serious it was and making pledges about what might then happen seems to have set a template for Johnson
Press Release 10th August
Contact Keith Flett 07803 167266; keith.flett@btinternet.com
BORIS JOHNSON COMMITS TO ENTEPRISE ZONE & SPURS GROUND IN TOTTENHAM
Haringey TUC has said that on a visit to Tottenham High Rd this afternoon London Mayor Boris Johnson has pledged that there will be an Enterprise Zone in the area and committed himself to supporting Spurs keeping their ground in Tottenham.
The Mayor made the comments to Haringey TUC Secretary Keith Flett, as he was robustly lobbied by a crowd of local residents, community activists and trade unionists when he visited Tottenham at 4pm today.
Haringey Trades Council Secretary Keith Flett said While its no secret that trade unionists would prefer a different Mayor, the pledges that Boris Johnson made to me this afternoon are welcome. Let’s hope that he sticks to them. Meanwhile I am considering whether or not to wash the hand which I shook his with.
Oh how appropriate about hand washing. Reminds me too that when Michael Portillo visited the Taylor’s Bell Foundry in loughborough , a friend of mine had to be interviewed by him. He said he would do it, only if he had to not shake his hand. I always reckoned that as my friend was covered in black detritus from the bell casting work, that he perhaps should have.