• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

London did no better than the rest of the country, as I understand it. You did not secure a better deal for London.

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

So what deals have you done for Londoners?

• Question by: John Biggs
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

I think we can note from what you just said that the single most important financial decision of your mayoralty will come in January or February when you decide whether to proceed with this massive letting of contracts on the congestion charge. Everything you are telling us confirms that you are very nervous about this: politically you want to be bullish, but you are aware that you may suffer a cruel crucifixion on the issue. My question refers to the question on the paper, about discussions with Government. Many Londoners say to me, "The problem with Ken Livingstone is that...

• Question by: Jenny Jones
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

I have something sad to tell you - I dreamed about congestion charging last night. That is the sad, bad news. The good news is, it was working - so no problems there. Andrew Pelling: It was just a dream. As you know, I am very concerned that this works and is seen to be working - The Mayor: I cannot hear the question, because everyone is giggling. Jenny Jones: You have said before that it is always the motoring correspondent who reports on the congestion charge, so it is always bad news. Have you done anything about promoting it...

• Question by: Lynne Featherstone
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Just a point of clarification: it is not £250 million on IT; it is £200 million engineering and £50 million on IT.

• Question by: Bob Neill
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Are we to take it that, in all these meetings with Ministers, you never discussed exemptions to the charge?

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

How much money has Deloitte got out of you?

• Question by: Elizabeth Howlett
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

Elizabeth Howlett: Mr Mayor - or should I call you Ken, considering it is Christmas? But I will not call you Ken again. Darren Johnson: Festive cheer from Wandsworth. Elizabeth Howlett: Ken: are you ready to sign a contract with one of the organisations that have bid to run the congestion charge? Is it imminent in these next days, as I have heard - I may be wrong? Are you prepared to allow whichever bidder you decide on to have direct accountability to you; or are you going to put management consultants like Deloittes in between, who I understand have...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

You have been in politics long enough to know what it means when it is not one story or two stories but three or four stories. For instance, there was the story you had to deny about having a meeting with London Labour MPs at which you said that you yourself had concerns that the scheme was not going to work. A couple of days later there was the story, which TfL had to deny, that you were getting advice from Bob Kiley that you should drop the congestion charge. When there are clusters of stories like that, there is...

• Question by: Angie Bray
• Meeting date: 19 December 2001

One of the articles - I think it was in the Evening Standard; and it might have been in the Financial Times too - reported that you had said that you were aware of these rumours circulating in Whitehall.