Brian Coleman, who was chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, says ‘I was so angry’ when he heard the remarks (Picture: PA, Reuters)

Boris Johnson launched a ‘foul-mouthed tirade’ towards the families of the victims of the 7/7 terror attacks after being told about the cost of inquests, it has been alleged.

The claims were made last night by Brian Coleman, who was chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

He claims he was briefing the mayor in London’s City Hall in 2011, when the Tory leadership hopeful made the remarks, the Sunday Mirror reports.

He said: ‘I was telling Boris how the Fire Authority was having to spend a sizeable sum on lawyers, as were the Metropolitan Police, Transport for London and everybody else involved.




‘Boris suddenly said, “I blame Tony Blair for all this, he started it with the Marchioness.”’

Brian Coleman was also a Tory London Assembly member (Picture: Rex Features)

That, Mr Coleman says, was a reference to inquests into the deaths of 51 partygoers after the 1989 Thames collision between the Marchioness pleasure steamer and the dredger Bowbelle.

Following the briefing, Mr Coleman said Guto Harri, the Mayor’s communications chief at the time, explained the 7/7 inquests were for the benefit of the families.

Mr Coleman added: ‘To which Boris replied, “F*** the families! F*** the families!

‘I was having none of this and snapped at Boris, “you didn’t have to write eight letters of condolences to families of your constituents or attend the funeral of 31-year-old Lee Baisden (a Fire Authority employee) who had been blown to pieces at Aldgate and comfort his poor widowed mother’.

Mr Johnson is alleged to have made the remarks after hearing about the costs of inquests into the 7/7 terror attacks in London (Picture: AFP)

But yesterday Mr Harri said of Mr Johnson’s remark: ‘I didn’t hear him say it.

‘It’s not the kind of thing he would say, so I think it’s extremely unlikely.’

The ex-communications boss has a different recollection of the conversation with Mr Coleman.

Mr Harri said: ‘Brian’s own account acknowledges I told him at the time that I think he was mistaken.’

Mr Johnson has caused controversy before with his outbursts and colourful language.

Boris Johnson is considered the favourite to replace to Theresa May as Prime Minister (Picture: Reuters)

A year ago, he reportedly told a diplomatic gathering in response to business concerns about Brexit: ‘F*** business!

Earlier in the year, he criticised police spending on child sexual abuse investigations, saying that the money had been ‘spaffed up a wall’.

The current row centres on a blog written by Mr Coleman and emerges just weeks before the 14th anniversary of 7/7.

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Mr Coleman was a former mayor of London’s Barnet borough, was a Tory London Assembly member and chair of the Fire Authority for four of the eight years that Mr Johnson was mayor.

He was expelled from the Conservative Party in October 2012, after being convicted of assault on a café owner.

He said: ‘I stand by this story. I was so angry with Boris at that meeting. Boris is not suitable to be PM, for crying out loud, and that’s why I wrote this blogpost.

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