FORMER Bexley Council leader and one of London Mayor Boris Johnson's former deputies, Ian Clement, has been charged today over the misuse of his Greater London Authority (GLA) credit card.

Mr Clement, aged 44, will appear in court on Tuesday, accused of five offences under Sections 1 and 2 of the Fraud Act, in connection with expenses he is alleged to have claimed while working at City Hall in his £128,000-a-year job as deputy mayor .

The charges relate to five meals Mr Clement is said to have charged on his GLA expenses, totalling £227.

The GLA referred his expenses claims to the Met Police's Economic and Specialist Crime Unit on June 24 for investigation.

Mr Clement, who lives in Crayford, quit as a Bexley councillor and leader of the council in May last year, when he was appointed as deputy mayor for government and external relations, following the election of Mr Johnson as London's new Tory Mayor.

But he was forced to resign from the deputy mayor's job in June this year when questions were asked about the expenses he allegedly claimed on his GLA credit card, the only one issued to a member of the London Mayor's staff.

Mr Clement also recently resigned from Bexleyheath and Crayford Conservative Association after it began moves to strip him of his membership.

An internal investigation into claims he made on a Bexley Council credit card while leader of the council, recently concluded there was insufficient evidence of any wrongdoing to call in the police.

The Met. Police says Mr Clement was charged following detailed consideration of his expenses by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

He will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court.

Following the decision to charge him, Mr Clement's lawyer, Jeremy Summers said: “Mr Clement is surprised and saddened that the CPS should have felt that prosecution was appropriate.

"He has co-operated fully with the investigation, which relates to five meal expense claims which have a total value of £227.00.

"In the context of other, and far more significant, investigations it is a matter of regret that political expediency appears to be present."

He added: "Given that proceedings have been brought it is inappropriate to comment further at this time.”