The crimson robe with its ermine trim, the white lace and gold chains are all redolent of age-old ceremony and tradition.
The pose adopted by the man who remains the youngest ever to be elected Mayor of Lambeth, one of the most densely-populated boroughs of London, is less so.
John-Paul Ennis, JP for short, holds his lace frill-edged, white-gloved hands out in what some might consider an offensive gesture – and certainly not one befitting his civic standing.
But then, JP – who was 27 when he was elected last April – is not your every-day mayor.
Readers might recall how he was exposed last week for rather rashly boasting on camera about the ‘perks’ of his position – namely the chain and ‘nice car’ he gets driven around in, which he declared ‘sick’.
Now he’s placed himself in yet more hot water for the company he keeps.
For, standing beside him in the shot is a young man who has, perhaps, an even wider public profile.
He is none other than TikTok prankster Mizzy, who garnered notoriety two years ago after appearing in a string of viral videos in which he, variously, walked (uninvited) into strangers’ homes, stole an elderly woman’s dog, ripped up library books and so on.
John-Paul Ennis (right) , the Mayor of Lambeth, said being chauffeured around in a ‘nice car’ was one of the best perks of the job in an interview on TikTok with DJ AG (left)
Mizzy, real name Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, was sentenced to 18 weeks in a young offender’s institution in November 2023
John-Paul Ennis (pictured) took on the role as Mayor of Lambeth last year
Mizzy, real name Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, was sentenced to 18 weeks in a young offender’s institution in November 2023 for breaking a court order that blocked him from filming people without their consent, with a judge telling him his social media stunts were ‘not funny’.
When he emerged from detention, the teenage father-of-one vowed he would turn his life around, declaring he wanted to ‘do better for my child and the people around me’, a journey of redemption that has included at least two internships, vocational training, a volunteering stint at Brixton Soup Kitchen – and tooth whitening.
That he should have met JP on his self-proclaimed journey to ‘make a positive impact’ is, perhaps, not surprising, given that one of the main focuses of the young mayor’s own political journey has been on youth work.
Some may, however, consider the pose adopted in the photograph unfortunate – not least those who were victims of Mizzy’s infamous reign of terror.
Is this really the image Lambeth wants projected through its mayor?
Perhaps it is, for JP Ennis (his Instagram handle is jp_sw9, in acknowledgement of his postcode) is certainly a mayor on a mission.
As mayor he was allowed to select two charities to support during his term of office; he chose Brixton Street Gym, a fitness space ‘working to help build the minds, ambition and confidence for young community in Brixton’ and Young People Matter, which supports the aspirations of young people to ‘help them make positive life choices’.
His South London accent, his vocabulary laced with ‘innit’ and ‘sick’, is genuine. He was born in Lambeth, went to the borough’s Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Grant school and lives in a 1960s-style block of flats in the heart of his constituency.
Elected by his fellow councillors (he represents Brixton North), his role as mayor is not political, rather he has ‘civic and ceremonial responsibilities’ and, according to Lambeth Council’s website ‘an ambassadorial role as first citizen of the borough’. A civic allowance of just under £16,000 also comes with the job.
Whether posing with Mizzy in his robes or boasting (however light-heartedly) about his chauffeur-driven car meets with the job description is debatable.
Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, also known as Mizzy, leaves Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court, London on June 13
Councils across London have introduced a number of ‘anti-car’ measures (file photo of LTN bollard)
TikTok prankster Mizzy, whose real name is Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, is seen arriving at Stratford Magistrates’ Court in east London in May 2023
The subject of the mayor’s car – a hybrid VW Passat, not a limousine – first came to attention last week in a video posted on social media, in which he chatted on the street with a DJ known as AG.
Clearly AG is a big fan of JP, telling watchers: ‘Do you know what I like about him? He looks exactly like us.’
Asked what the job is like, JP says: ‘It’s mad, I can’t lie. It’s sick.’
He goes on to hail his chain (on this occasion he is not wearing it) and the car he gets driven around in before telling his audience his ‘big thing’ is about supporting young people.
Clearly the remarks are tailored to the occasion and audience. But Lambeth council has angered residents by introducing a succession of policies to limit car use. It was the first local authority to declare a ‘climate emergency’ in 2019.
The Labour-run local authority has hiked the cost of parking permits and introduced a hated Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme (LTNS), one of which was withdrawn after it sparked traffic chaos on one of the main routes out of London with buses taking up to two hours to travel three miles.
Hardly surprising, then, that when the Mail visited Lambeth last week some residents were less than impressed by their young mayor.
Warehouse worker Michael Page, 45, sums it up: ‘It’s tone-deaf really. We’re all hard-up and struggling. I have to pay £500 a year to park a van. All of these traffic schemes have really hit me very hard financially … so this is silly. It’s a kick in the teeth.
‘He seems like a nice bloke to be fair, but it does not feel like we’re all in this together.’
Plumber Trevor Christys, 45, who recently bought a new van after being hit with the daily Ulez charge and pays £500 a year to park near his home, concurs, calling the pose with Mizzy ‘incredibly stupid’.
Mizzy was sentenced to 18 weeks in a young offender’s institution in November 2023 for breaking a court order that blocked him from filming people without their consent
Lambeth Council has hiked the cost of parking permits and introduced a hated Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme (LTNS) (stock photo)
‘What sort of message does that send? This neighbourhood has a lot of problems, drugs, knife crime, anti-social behaviour and all sorts. Why invite that guy in?’
In fairness to JP, his passion for his work in the community has been unswerving.
He has spoken quite frankly about his own journey, his passion to make a difference sparked when he his mum died, just a few days after his 17th birthday.
‘I had this big crisis of legacy, not wanting to be forgotten. I had this big moment of wanting to do something that leaves a mark, that you can be remembered for,’ he told one interviewer.
It wasn’t easy; he had to redo a year of sixth form and dropped out of university but, already a children’s football coach, began to get involved with local issues he cared about.
He was 21 and ‘annoyed at always talking to someone in a position of power but not being on the other side of the table,’ when he decided to run for office at the local council. ‘I knew I wanted to get involved because I cared and I wanted to have the opportunity to help represent my community,’ he said, in a YouTube interview last year. ‘You can live in an area your whole life without understanding how things work.’
He went on to compare himself to Alexander the Great, who was about 25 when he ruled an empire that stretched from Greece to India – a boast that could be put down to youthful exuberance.
He has also appeared on various BBC programmes, representing the voice of the young, but does seem to keep bringing up his chains … and that car.
The chain he repeatedly calls ‘sick’ – noting that when he wears it, he must have his ‘support officer’ with him.
The driver ‘thing’ is, he says ‘mind blowing’, particularly the protocol that the driver must open his door for him, something he always forgets.
He’s also not a fan of his official title, which rather than Mr Mayor, is actually supposed to start (his words) ‘his Worshipful, the Mayor …’
General views of traffic on Streatham High Road where the introduction of an LTN made the congestion worse
A grab of Mizzy doing one of his walking into houses ‘pranks’ on social media
JP himself could not be reached for comment last week, although did appear, soberly suited and well behaved at a council ceremony to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
For all his street-style, he has previously acknowledged the respect that his attire garners.
‘When I am dressed as myself no one cares, when I have the chains all of a sudden … I feel like I shouldn’t be abusing that position,’ he said in an interview.
A spokesman for Lambeth Council said: ‘Cllr Ennis is serving as Mayor of Lambeth for 12-months in a ceremonial role and undertakes community activities in our London borough everyday meeting hundreds of people. He is not responsible for setting policy in Lambeth, or across London.
‘Cllr Ennis is our youngest ever mayor, and the youngest in London. He grew up in our borough on a local council estate in Brixton, and is working hard to connect with all our communities, especially young people.
‘The feedback from our residents has been hugely positive.
‘The young man mentioned has previously been convicted of a criminal offence, and has completed his punishment. He has been trying to change his life and undertaken an internship at a local organisation in Lambeth. Our mayor met him as part of this rehabilitation.’
Neighbours of JP, whose Irish father, a popular South London publican, died in 2023, remain proud of of him.
‘He’s a nice guy. I don’t think he meant any harm. He works hard and genuinely cares for the community.
‘Maybe it was a bit ill-judged.’
