Keeping up the Standards...

Interesting coverage on the allegations of financial and sexual impropriety against Boris Johnson's Deputy which broke yesterday. Most of today's national newspapers ran a page lead, but London's evening paper chose not to put the story on its front page.

While other media is highlighting the potential damage to Boris Johnson - and David Cameron - the headline on the Standard's inside story makes it clear that Boris was ‘in dark over deputy sleaze claims’

Just a couple of months ago the same Standard ran relentless splashes and damning billboards all across the capital night-after-night against Ken Livingstone which helped ensure Boris Johnson was elected.

The Standard's pro-Boris campaign was led by Andrew Gilligan - whose old boss at The Economist was, er, Boris.

Perhaps no surprise that today, Mr Gilligan concludes that the Ray Lewis allegations are:

'not that serious, even if true...'

And The Standard's editorial comment tonight says the allegations may be groundless - I hope they are right, but surely a curious comment...

First, the Church of England apparently 'struck off' Mr Lewis. Did they do that for no reason?

Second, elsewhere in tonight's Standard, an elderly woman claims she lent Ray Lewis £29,000 and all he gave her was an IOU. She claims the money was paid back only after she went to the police. Yesterday, you may recall, Mr Lewis categorically denied ever borrowing money from a parishioner.

For good measure, elsewhere in the Standard, there's a smear story on
the Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Rev John Gladwin, who prompted the investigation into Ray Lewis.

The Standard diary accuses him of supporting 'Left-wing' think-tanks including the Labour-supporting IPPR and of working with Ken Livingstone.

And after Boris's comments yesterday that Ray Lewis should be left alone to get on with his work without 'persecution', no prizes for guessing the outcome of the independent inquiry, which is to be headed by Ray Lewis's old boss at the Prison Service!