Boris snubs Africa Day celebration

The Tory high command feared it… and now it’s happened. After four weeks in office, Boris Johnson has walked into his first big trap. The recently elected London mayor has been accused of snubbing Africa Day, which was held yesterday at Trafalgar Square, a not wholly wise move considering his electoral campaign was dogged by allegations of racism, with his past writings about "piccaninnies" held up as evidence.

What makes it worse for Johnson – who cried off because he was "away on a family holiday" – is that the event was organised by his own office at City Hall, and had been hailed as an opportunity to support ethnic minorities.

The no show has not pleased Toyin Agbetu, founder of the African Awareness pressure group Ligali. "That Boris Johnson has chosen not to attend just shows his interest in the matter. I’m glad in a way that he did not attend, hearing what his views are, because I don’t think Africans should be used as a political tool, but on another level he has a duty to show up to show the institutional support of London."