Most disappointing that Boris Johnson should suggest that there is any relevant connection with Kosovo and capping housing benefit at £400 ($600) per week.
Johnson actually was reasonably open-minded in 1999 and went to Beograd during or shortly after the bombing. It would be interesting to know what prompted him to use Kosovo - he is one of the few people in office who might have been expected to see that this shibboleth of Tony Bliar and New Labour is very vulnerable to criticism and hence a way to dismantle the overblown claims and immoral foreign policy they have built on this supposed success... Tim Fenton
David Cameron scolds Mayor of London Boris Johnson over 'Kosovo' comment
David Cameron has delivered an unprecedented slap-down to Boris Johnson for comparing Government plans to stop housing benefit being claimed on expensive homes to "Kosovo-style social cleansing".
By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent
Published: 6:11PM BST 28 Oct 2010
The Prime Minister was said to be "bristling" with anger after the Mayor of London suggested that capping housing benefit at just under £21,000 a year would lead to the poor being "pushed out" of their homes.
The plans are designed to stop low-income taxpayers subsidising expensive properties for benefits claimants. Ministers estimate that 21,000 people are living in homes for which the state pays more than £400 a week, including 17,000 in the capital.
In a rare public rebuke, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said Mr Cameron disagreed with the mayor's choice of words and view of the housing benefit policy. Mr Johnson had appeared to suggest that he was seeking to prevent the housing cap being implemented in London.
"The last thing we want to have in our city is a situation such as Paris, where the less well-off are pushed out to the suburbs," he said.
"I'll emphatically resist any attempt to recreate a London where the rich and poor cannot live together.
"What we will not see and not accept is any kind of Kosovo-style social cleansing of
The Prime Minister was said to be "bristling" with anger after the Mayor of London suggested that capping housing benefit at just under £21,000 a year would lead to the poor being "pushed out" of their homes.
The plans are designed to stop low-income taxpayers subsidising expensive properties for benefits claimants. Ministers estimate that 21,000 people are living in homes for which the state pays more than £400 a week, including 17,000 in the capital.
In a rare public rebuke, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said Mr Cameron disagreed with the mayor's choice of words and view of the housing benefit policy. Mr Johnson had appeared to suggest that he was seeking to prevent the housing cap being implemented in London.
"The last thing we want to have in our city is a situation such as Paris, where the less well-off are pushed out to the suburbs," he said.
"I'll emphatically resist any attempt to recreate a London where the rich and poor cannot live together.
"What we will not see and not accept is any kind of Kosovo-style social cleansing of London. On my watch, you are not going to see thousands of families evicted from the place where they have been living and have put down roots."
Within two hours of the comments being broadcast, Mr Cameron's spokesman issued a public rebuke, saying: "The Prime Minister doesn't agree with what Boris Johnson has said or indeed the way he said it.
"He thinks the policy is the right one and he doesn't agree with the way [Mr Johnson] chose his words."
It is the first time that Mr Cameron's growing irritation with the Mayor has been made explicit, and confirms Mr Johnson's position as his only serious rival within the Conservative Party.
The mayor's words were unfortunate given that a day earlier, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, had described as "deeply offensive" a Labour claim that the poor would be "sociologically cleansed" out of London if housing benefit was cut.
Senior Coalition figures rounded on Mr Johnson. Mr Clegg said: "I disagree with what Boris Johnson said on the policy and very strongly disagree with the way he expressed his views."
As No 10's displeasure was made clear, Mr Johnson issued a statement saying that his words, broadcast on BBC Radio London, had been "taken out of context".
Mr Johnson has had a somewhat fractious relationship with Mr Cameron for some time.
Sources suggested that Mr Johnson's wish to take over more control of London's housing budget would almost certainly now be rejected.
A source said: "The official line is that Boris is Boris, but he has gone too far this time.
"To accuse the Prime Minister of social cleansing is well over the top. It is fair to say that the PM was bristling with anger when he heard."
Just one year ago, Serbian officialdom celebrated the 55th anniversary of the communist takeover with plenty of pomp. Back then, Belgrade was visited by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, the biggest ally in defending Serbia's sovereignty over Kosovo. It also dropped its previous political motto, 'There is no alternative to the EU', and launched the 'Four pillars policy' calling for close ties with Russia, China, the US and the EU.
