Victoria Borwick - The free dinner register (& other nice goodies)

My friend and fellow swivel eyed Trotskyite blogger, The Tory Troll today brought us news of some shenanigans and dodgy dealings at the GLA.

It seems top GLA Tory Member Victoria Borwick has sent out a leaflet promoting her husbands business to recipients of a GLA publication.

To quote the Troll :-

One time mayoral hopeful Lady Victoria Borwick sent out letters to fellow Assembly members and London Council leaders stating that:

"we are often discussing ways of helping reduce noise levels and pollution and I realized that most people are not aware of the various fully electric options available to us.”


In order to make them more aware, she included brochures for Modec Electric Vehicles, a company chaired by her husband Lord Borwick.

In a follow up letter Ms Borwick states :-

I am concerned lest it could be thought that my letter might appear to fall under the category of “using a position to secure an unfair advantage for any person”.

Well Victoria, it seems that you are not the only one who is concerned. I'm rather concerned at this as well. At the very least it betrays extremely poor judgement from someone entrusted to a senior role.

As I'm still recovering from National Brian Coleman day yesterday, I though I'd follow up my blog on his free dinners, by seeing how Victoria Borwick has been doing in the sponging stakes. You can check this yourself with a visit here :-

http://www.london.gov.uk/pls/apex/f?p=135:1:2793743370652029:::::

But to save you the trouble, here it is :-

Victoria Borwick 22-MAY-08 Drinks Reception CHSM Hill Companies
Victoria Borwick 11-JUN-08 Lunch British Antique Dealers Association
Victoria Borwick 25-JUN-08 Lunch Conservative Friends of Israel.
Sponsor - Lord Steinberg and Andrew Heller
Victoria Borwick 03-JUL-08 Drinks and Canapes Mr Brian Kingham
Victoria Borwick 11-JUL-08 Lunch Mr Philip Bouverat. JCB Ltd
Victoria Borwick 17-JUL-08 Drinks reception Think London
Victoria Borwick 31-JUL-08 British International Motor Show visit and
catalogue Society of Motor Manufacturers
and Traders
Victoria Borwick 18-SEP-08 Reception, Kensignton Roof Gardens
NCH/ Action for Children
Victoria Borwick 28-SEP-08 Reception National Newspaper
Victoria Borwick 28-SEP-08 Dinner, Britannia Hotel, Birmingham Politeia
Victoria Borwick 29-SEP-08 Reception Conservative Party
Victoria Borwick 29-SEP-08 Reception Spectator Magazine
Victoria Borwick 29-SEP-08 Dinner, Malmaison Hotel, Birmingham
City of London
Victoria Borwick 29-SEP-08 Breakfast Reception Reform
Victoria Borwick 30-SEP-08 Reception Policy Exchange
Victoria Borwick 30-SEP-08 Reception Conservative Party
Victoria Borwick 30-SEP-08 Lunch Westminster Conservatives
Victoria Borwick 30-SEP-08 Breakfast Reception BBC
Victoria Borwick 29-OCT-08 Drinks reception British Library
Victoria Borwick 04-NOV-08 Drinks reception Barts hospitals
and the London Charity
Victoria Borwick 06-NOV-08 Lunch NHS Confederation Lunch
Victoria Borwick 08-NOV-08 3 tickets for the Lord Mayor's Show,
comprising: - Grandstand seats in St Paul's
Churchyard for procession - Lunch at the
Barbican Centre - ITV reception to view
fireworks on display on the Thames The Lord
Mayor of London City of London Corporation
Victoria Borwick 12-NOV-08 Reception at Oxo Tower, SE1 Mike Adams,
President of Bechtel
Victoria Borwick 17-NOV-08 Book token South Hampstead High School
Victoria Borwick 02-DEC-08 Drinks and buffet dinner at Arup, #
Fitzroy Street, London W1 London First
Victoria Borwick 08-JAN-09 London Government Dinner at Mansion House
Lord Mayor of London
Victoria Borwick 12-JAN-09 Centenary Celebration reception plus miniature
bottle of whiskey. Balfour Beatty
Victoria Borwick 21-JAN-09 Seminar and lunch Politeia
Victoria Borwick 09-FEB-09 Dinner Politeia
Victoria Borwick 10-FEB-09 Planning for a better London Reception.
Development Securities PLC

Now at a mere 30 entries, she's well behind Brian Coleman's 88. Having said that, it disgusts me that politicians earning hefty allowances ponce on Charities. I note that on the 18th September 2008 she attended a reception for NCH at the Kensington Roof Gardens. Well we have an NCH charity box in our studio reception. It disgusts me that our customers put money in to buy Vicky Borwick drinks and nosh. That's not what it's meant to be about. On the 4th November 08 she attended a booze up funded by Barts and the London Charity. I'm sorry, call me old fashioned, but all of the Charity do's I go to I buy a ticket for.

I also noted quite a few dinners courtesy of Politeia. I'd never heard of this, but it appears to be a think tank. Why does it buy London assembly members free dinners so regularly? I'd be intrigued to know :- Have a look for yourself http://www.politeia.co.uk/AboutUs/tabid/52/Default.aspx

One other intriguing entry - a book token from South Hampstead High School. Reading her explanation on the Tory Troll website, they'd have been better giving her a free remedial English lesson (yes I know that it's the pot calling the kettle black, but hey I didn't get a book token!)

I note that she certainly went on a bit of a binge at the Tory Conference - 28/29/30 Sept - What a girl !!!!