The Scoop

Mayor mourns his right-hand man

Darryl Chamberlain | Tuesday 12 April, 2011 13:34

Boris Johnson has led tributes to his chief of staff Sir Simon Milton, who died in hospital yesterday aged 49.

A former leader of Westminster City Council, Sir Simon joined the mayor’s team in September 2008 and took charge of City Hall’s planning policies as well as running his backroom team.

He was widely credited with helping Boris Johnson’s administration settle into City Hall, after the mayor’s early months in charge were rocked by resignations of senior aides.

Sir Simon was “one of the nicest and cleverest men in politics,” the mayor said.

“We in City Hall have lost a wonderful colleague and friend. It is hard to think of anyone in politics who commanded such universal respect and admiration from people of all parties.

“He was instrumental in drawing up the new London Plan and in securing the budgets for Crossrail, the Tube upgrades, and many other projects for the benefit of the city he loved.

“It feels very hard and strange to be saying all this now about someone who was so young, and who still had so much to offer.”

Former mayor Ken Livingstone said: “This is a very sad loss. Although of course Sir Simon came from a different political background to me I always enjoyed working with him because he was interested in what was best for Westminster and London.”

The London Assembly’s chair, Liberal Democrat Dee Doocey, said he would be “sorely missed by colleagues across the political spectrum both at City Hall and throughout London”.

Green mayoral candidate Jenny Jones said: “Although Sir Simon didn’t agree with most of our manifesto, he was ready to acknowledge a good idea and could be persuaded to include a green policy in the strategies if he felt it made sense. His early death leaves a huge gap in skills and ability in the Mayor’s office.”

Mayorwatch has a round up of tributes from across London.

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