Hardtalk: Shirley Porter

From some time at the end of July or beginning of August 1999, here is most of an edition of the interview programme 'Hardtalk' from BBC News 24. The interviewer is Tim Sebastian and the subject of the interview is Dame Shirley Porter, former Leader of Westminster City Council (1983-91). After leaving office, the district auditor had found that Porter had, through wilful misconduct, caused a loss to the council through a policy of selling void council flats on the open market. The Divisional Court had upheld the finding in December 1997, but the Court of Appeal had overturned it in a judgment on 30 April 1999. Accordingly at the time this programme was made, Porter had no finding against her. The Auditor subsequently appealed to the House of Lords, which reinstated the finding of loss by wilful misconduct and Porter paid part (£13.3m of a total judgment debt of around £42m including costs and interests).