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City of Westminster
Conservative Group

Westminster Labour’s £27 million waste under the spotlight

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Monday, 16 February, 2026
  • Local News
Conservatives hold Westminster Labour to account over Geoffrey Osborne scandal

Last week, Westminster Labour’s £27 million Geoffrey Osborne contract scandal was hauled before the Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

We spoke with the Conservative Leader of Westminster City Council, Cllr Paul Swaddle, to find out more. Paul explained,

Labour saw the warning signs and knew the risks. They failed to do proper due diligence but signed off the contract anyway, leaving residents with a £27 million bill because of their incompetence.

Westminster Conservatives scrutinised Labour’s reckless waste and demanded answers for their poor due diligence.

When Cllr Fisher (Con) grilled Labour on their due diligence failures, they shut down questions, claiming it was not helpful for the scrutiny process to be “too forensic”. Same Old Labour trying to dodge accountability for their actions.

That tells you everything about Westminster Labour. When £27 million is on the line, they do not care how it is wasted and refuse to own their failure.

This is a pattern of behaviour: senior Labour councillors rewarded themselves with pay rises of up to 57 per cent, while residents face projected council tax hikes of up to 75 per cent over the next four years to pay for their reckless spending.

Read more on Westminster Labour's scandalous spending here.

Westminster Conservatives will deliver value for money

I have a plan to deliver value for money in Westminster. 

It starts by stopping waste and restoring proper due diligence. Every major contract must pass stronger checks and clear risk controls before it is signed.

Scrutiny must be real, not rubber-stamping. Big spending decisions should face tougher challenges, clear accountability, and consequences when things go wrong.

Transparency should be the default. Residents deserve to know where their money is going, what it is delivering, and what is not working.

Most of all, the focus must return to local priorities.

If Westminster Conservatives are elected in May, we will deliver safe streets, a clean city, reliable services and real value for money.

If you support our plan to deliver value for money in Westminster and scrutinise Labour’s reckless waste, back us below.

Call for value for money and scrutinny of Labour waste

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Monday, 16 February, 2026
With less than 100 days to go until election day, Westminster faces a clear choice about the direction of our city.

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