London deputy mayor resigns over "lies and financial misconduct"

In the latest instalment of a series of blunders by the new Tory London mayoral team, Boris Johnson's deputy mayor, Ray Lewis has resigned following accusations of financial misconduct and inappropriate behaviour. The alleged revelations were uncovered by a Guardian investigation

Johnson's predecessor, Ken Livingstone, commented yesterday, "In my entire eight years in office I suffered only one enforced resignation of any of my most senior officials, Lee Jasper - and that only after seven years - and this extreme contrast shows vividly the incompetence of Boris Johnson and his administration."

Allegations against Lewis centre around claims that he borrowed around £45,000 from parishioners including an elderly woman and a man with learning difficulties during his time as a priest in the mid-1990s.

The crisis for the team worsened after a press conference on Thursday when Lewis, dismissing the accusations, pointed out that he was a magistrate (justice of the peace). Yesterday, however, the Ministry of Justice said he never been appointed as a magistrate.