Ken’s ex-adviser heads for speech circuit

Ken Livingstone may have gone quietly (at least for now), but his erstwhile crony-in-chief - or former 'equalities advisor' - Lee Jasper [pictured], shows no sign of retiring from public life. He has today revealed that he is considering challenging MP Kate Hoey, who has become one of London mayor Boris Johnson's advisors, for the labour nomination for  her Vauxhall seat at the next election. While this evening BLINK, a website aimed at the 'Afro Caribbean business community' and formerly funded by ex-mayor Livingstone, has organised 'An evening with Lee Jasper', at which he will speak on the subject of 'Money, Power and the Route to Success'.

The £10-a-head event, which offers a buffet and a glass of champagne, plus dancing until 2am, is being held at the Executive lounge in Knightsbridge, and is seen as the inaugural meeting of a private members’ club for, as BLINK puts it, "upwardly mobile people like yourself who want to socialise with like-minded others in luxury surroundings that reflect where we are, at this stage of our careers and businesses".

Sounds fun, however some might say that Jasper is not the best person to offer advice to the "upwardly mobile" business community. In March, he was suspended from his job at City Hall after it was alleged that a number of projects run by his friends and associates had been paid at least £3.3m by City Hall, but had produced little or nothing to show for it.

And in April, Jasper resigned from his £100,000 job after it was revealed he'd sent sexually explicit emails – one read "I love thee feet, ankles, legs, thighs, bum and belly" - to a women whose organisation actually benefited from one of the aforementioned grants. ·