Ian Clement

During February 2010 Clement made some strong statements regarding the mayor's lack of respect for the Conservative leader David Cameron, highlighting in particular a serious difference of opinion over the wisdom of investigating the revived Marinair Thames estuary airport proposals for an international airport in the Thames Estuary, east of the Isle of Sheppey, a proposal seen by the mayor as a possible alternative to additional runways at London's existing airports.

Clement also spoke on the radio in New York in January 2009 about closer co-operation between cities and what one city can learn from another.

In June 2009, Johnson suspended Clement's use of his GLA credit card, in light of revelations of his use of his official card. It emerged that Clement used the card to buy business class travel on two long-haul British Airways flights to China for the Beijing Olympics, only weeks after the Mayor insisted he was going to fly economy. He also used the card to pay for lunches and dinners with fellow Conservatives and a £700 meal in New York City. Clement broke GLA rules by using his card for "private expenditure" totalling £2,300, including more than £200 on groceries at Tesco and a £535.49 audio system for his Jaguar car, which he then repaid. In his defence, Clement told City officials it was the only card he had at the time.

On 4 September 2009 it was announced that Clement had been charged with five offences relating to the use of the credit card

In opposition, the Conservatives in the London Borough of Bexley had been fiercely opposed to the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge development. This opposition continued once Clement was Leader and included him calling for a reopening of the public inquiry into the bridge, and discussion with the then Local Government Secretary, Ruth Kelly. He worked closely with Action Group Against the Bridge and the plans for the bridge were eventually scrapped by the new Mayor, Boris Johnson in November 2008.

The London Borough of Bexley, under Clement was the first Conservative led London Borough to declare support for Boris Johnson in his bid to be Mayor of London. Clement was a senior member of Johnson's campaign team from October 2007 until Johnson became Mayor of London on 1 May 2008.

On 6 May 2008, Clement was appointed as Deputy Mayor for Government and External Relations, to advise and lead on the Mayor's relationships with the Government and London Boroughs. Clement's salary was £124,364, the highest of Johnson's Deputies.

In August 2008, Clement represented London at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Although he was in a relationship at the time, and pre-briefed by MI6, Clement later admitted that he had been lured into a honey trap by the Chinese secret service. After inviting a woman to his hotel room, was drugged to enable details from his BlackBerry to be downloaded and secret papers to be copied.

In May 2006, the Conservatives, led by Clement, defeated the previous Labour administration in the London Borough of Bexley. The previously ruling Labour group of 32 was reduced to 9 councillors. The results produced a council of 54 Conservative and 9 Labour councillors – a loss for Labour of 23 seats. Turnout was increased in all but one of the Borough's wards and was 42.35% overall. The election result meant that the London Borough of Bexley had the largest Conservative majority in London.

In October 2006, Clement was appointed to the Executive of London Councils as leading member of the Crime and Public Protection Portfolio. In this role, Clement led in overseeing strategy and policy initiatives to help the London Boroughs "build safer and stronger communities". He worked with Ministers and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police to ensure that the interests of London, and its boroughs, were fully recognised in the development of community safety policing and in the allocation of funding. The specific policy areas included anti-social behaviour, violent crime, domestic violence, community engagement and crime reduction, London Resilience and Emergency Planning.

Clement was elected as a Councillor for the London Borough of Bexley in 1998. Clement then served as Vice-Chairman of the Environmental Services Committee, Chairman of the Traffic and Transport Sub-Committee, Chairman of the Environment, Transport and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee, Shadow Cabinet/Opposition Spokesman for the Environment, Transport and Regeneration portfolio. He was elected Leader of the Opposition Conservative Group in 2003, having previously been Deputy Leader of the Group.

Ian Clement (born 1965 in Bexley), was Deputy Mayor of London with responsibility for Government and External Relations. A former councillor and Leader of the London Borough of Bexley from 2006 to 2008, Clement was a member of the Conservative Party before being suspended following incidents involving financial issues both in London and Bexley.

Clement was born on 19 February 1965. He has lived in Crayford all his life and was educated at Trinity School, Belvedere.