London Mayoral Election In 6 Days
Mayoral Race Is Still Neck And Neck As Londoners Prepare To Vote
Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson remain the front runners for the second job in British politics. Both may have to rely on secondary votes to secure victory on May 1st.
London will vote for its next mayor in just under a week, on the 1st May and the contest is still undoubtedly a two horse race between Ken Livingstone, the Labour incumbent and Boris Johnson of the Conservatives.
Livingstone Fighting Hard For Re-election
Livingstone, who has held the post since 2000 is facing an extremely tough challenge from the popular Tory (even the pro-Livingstone Guardian today claimed the mayor "is fighting for his political life"), and major Labour figures have been drafted in to help the campaign of their colleague. Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell, the former Prime Minister and chief spin-doctor, have offered guidance and support, as has the current PM Gordon Brown.
London 2000-2008
Livingstone's eight years in power have by no means been a disaster; a successful bid for the 2012 Olympics, a daily reduction of 70,000 cars on central London streets coming on the back of an initially controversial congestion charge which is now bearing fruit, and strong leadership in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings have all been high points of Livingstone's tenure. London's claim to being the capital city of the world has also gained much credibility since 2000 largely thanks to the performance of the City, big business and inter-racial harmony, and it is a compliment to Johnson that his challenge to the man behind all of this has merited such an alarmed response from senior Labour leaders.
The Tory Challenger
In Boris Johnson the Tories have fielded arguably their most popular and well-known party member who recently led his rival by twelve points in an Evening Standard poll, although commentators now believe the gap to be much narrower. Previously most recognisable as an old Etonian buffoon who has given the British press some priceless gaffes by, among others, insulting the city of Liverpool, comparing the people of Papua Guinea with cannibals and indulging in an extra-marital affair which later led to his removal from the Shadow Cabinet. However, Johnson's popularity has remained high, and under his chief advisor Lynton Crosby he has seriously sobered up and begun to offer alternatives to the Livingstone administration, one he claims has been in power for too long and is plagued by corruption and cronyism.
Secondary Votes
The race is still impossible to call, and the secondary vote system (under which voters make a primary and secondary choice) is likely to decide the final winner if no single candidate manages to gain over fifty percent of the vote. Johnson and Livingstone are expected to be the two most popular candidates after voting, and leaders of other, smaller parties (of which there are seven) have been directing supporters where to place their secondary vote. Johnson has so far received the support of the far-right British National Party, which he has shunned, while Livingstone has drawn promises from Sian Berry, the Green candidate and is also expected to take many of Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat candidate's secondary votes.
Timely Council Elections in England and Wales
On May 1st, council elections are to be held in 137 local authorities in England and 22 in Wales, and Labour desperately need both a mayoral victory and a good showing in council contests to get themselves out of the current mess brought on by the 10p tax issue. The Tories, with their man in London's mayoral office and a strong showing in local elections would gain further momentum with which to pressure an increasingly fractured and bruised Labour Government. May 2nd will be awaited by many across the country with baited breath.
