DISGRACED former Co-operative Bank boss Paul Flowers claimed he still battles with addiction following a drugs sting which prompted his removal from the list of Methodist Church ministers.
The so-called “Crystal Methodist”, 66, was last week stripped of the title reverend and the power to lead services for “seriously impairing the mission, witness or integrity of the Church”.
He was secretly filmed handing over £300 for drugs in 2013 and admitted possession of cocaine, crystal meth and ketamine at Leeds Magistrates’ Court in May 2014.
He accepts the outcome of disciplinary proceedings, but said he lacked “the same respect for the church” and its handling of the incident was not “helpful”.
He told Radio 4’s Sunday Programme it would be a “lie” to suggest his substance problems were completely behind him.
Coupled with claims of inappropriate expenses payments four years ago, the accusations swelled into a storm of controversy that forced him to step down as chairman of the Co-operative Bank.
He said: “I’m not going to tell you a lie that it’s behind me totally, because it isn’t, but I believe it’s now largely behind me, but we still struggle with addiction of different sorts.”
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