At last, Boris makes a shrewd appointment

Boris Johnson has appointed private equity tycoon, Tim Parker, as his chief of staff. Parker, who was dubbed by the GMB union as “The Prince of Darkness” for his slash and burn approach to turning around failing businesses, will go under the title of First Deputy Mayor and will also be chief executive of the GLA Group.

Up until now, Boris’s appointments have been a mix of local government worthies (who seem more interested in sucking what they can from the GLA’s generous members allowance scheme) and new-Tory media types.

The Mayor finally has someone on his team who looks as though he has what it takes to take on the bloated institution he has inherited from his predecessor. Under Livingstone, the GLA’s budget soared from £3.7 billion to £11 billion.

For the sake of London’s taxpayers, let’s hope “Mr Axeman” lives up to his name.