Youth leader joins Johnson ‘cabinet’

Boris Johnson made the first appointment to his London administration on Monday, drafting in a youth leader to his team.

Ray Lewis, director of EastSide Young Leaders Academy, which seeks to turn round the lives of boys headed down the “wrong path”, was named deputy mayor for young people.

Mr Lewis, a former prison governor who was previously a clerk in Holy Orders for the Church Commissioners, has not been a Tory activist. But his academy has been strongly backed by the Conservative party and his name had been floated as a potential parliamentary candidate.

The first name to emerge in Mr Johnson’s “cabinet” was not the high-profile political appointment on crime or transport that many had expected from the capital’s new mayor.

It was also the only announcement of Mr Johnson’s first official day in charge of the capital.

The slow start appeared to contradict Mr Johnson’s assurance that he had a team ready to go into City Hall and “get cracking”.

Aides refused to say how many deputy mayors with specific responsibilities Mr Johnson would appoint. The mayor intends to make just one main announcement each day this week.

After campaigning hard on a pledge to crack down on youth street crime, it was significant Mr Johnson’s first appointment was made to address the problems of young people in London. He set out to portray his leadership as inclusive and representative of Londoners.

Mr Lewis has repeatedly said: “We see no shortage of young black males in the courtrooms, so my vision is to seek to prepare as many as possible for the boardrooms.”

The EYLA, which is based in Newham, in the east of the city, aims to produce a generation of black leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians and businessmen. It uses a model borrowed from the US state of Louisiana, which insists on clear structures and strict discipline.

The academy has allied itself with the Tory party. David Cameron spent his first day as party leader at the EYLA. Former mayoral candidate Steven Norris and shadow cabinet minister Francis Maude both sit on the EYLA board.

Mr Johnson said: “Ray’s dynamic but strict approach has given countless opportunities to hundreds of young men in London and helped raise their aspirations as a result. He has helped them achieve more than they ever hoped possible and now I want to spread that magic across London.

“We face a wave of violent crime amongst young people in the capital. Kids are killing other kids. Ray will be part of my team who will work night and day until we put an end to this tragic trend.”