Since the unfortunate Liverpool incident, Boris has been pretty careful not to offend great swathes of the British populace with flippant remarks or unwise criticism.
That was until this week when Boris made the following comments at the London Planning Awards: “I have decided that we are going to go ahead with the new town centre at Brent Cross, and I tell you, cross isn’t the word for some of the people up there, and it’s very, very exciting and I think it’s very rewarding actually.”
It seems pretty innocuous to me, but the people of Brent Cross are not happy (as Bozza alluded to in his remark.)
Alison Hopkins of Humber Road, Cricklewood, who is campaigning against the development, was offended by the Mayor’s comments and has made a formal complaint to his office. She said: “What annoys me about this, leaving aside the rights or wrongs of his decision, is that he is treating this as a big joke. His remarks are designed to denigrate those he purports to serve and represent and are highly insulting to all of us.”
Darren Johnson, Green Party London Assembly member, said: “This reveals that beneath the Mayor’s chuckling veneer lurks a cavalier disregard for the views of Londoners.”
A spokesman from the Mayor’s office said: “The Mayor believes the development at Brent Cross will provide a major boost for the area, creating jobs, improving transport links and transforming the quality of life of thousands of Londoners – not least the good people of Brent Cross who are always close to his heart and whom he’d never wish to offend.”