Morning:
8°c
Senior London Tory defects to support Paddick campaign
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent04.03.08
Brian Paddick's campaign for Mayor has received a boost from the former chairman of the London Tory party, who has defected to the Liberal Democrats.
Dirk Hazell, who was London Region chairman during the last mayoral election, claimed Boris Johnson was a "downgrade" from previous candidate Steve Norris.
The Tory councillor said the Tories could not be trusted to deliver, were "bossy and dodgy" and had "phoney" environmental policies. His defection will be a blow to the Johnson campaign as he was a key figure in the party's preparations for the last election in which Mr Norris came second.
It comes after a YouGov poll for ITN last week showed Mr Paddick had jumped five points from the previous month to 12 per cent.
Mr Paddick believes he can seize power if he makes it through to the second round of voting on 1 May.
"After last week's boost in the polls, Dirk's defection has added further momentum to my campaign. Many Tory voters don't want Ken but think Boris is a buffoon," he said.
"It's clear as I canvass people on their doorsteps that Boris Johnson cannot win this election. The only one that can bring serious change to London and beat Ken Livingstone is me."
Mr Hazell, whose three-year tenure as chairman from 2002 to 2005 saw the most electoral wins for the party in the capital, said: "London needs real change. Not the Norris-to-Boris downgrade but a Mayor with insight and experience from a vocation protecting law-abiding Londoners.
"I left the Tories because they are as bossy and dodgy as Labour, because their environmental pretensions are phoney and because Europhobes harm Britain. I joined the Liberal Democrats because only Lib-Dem principles and only principled Lib-Dems like Brian Paddick will make Britain fair, free and green."
Mr Hazell stood as a parliamentary candidate for the Tories in 1994 and before that was a Merton councillor for eight years. He has been chief executive of the Environmental Services Association since 1999.
Reader views (14)
Well done, Mr Hazell!
All sensible Londoners know that it's time we had a change from Ken. Who would trust bumbling Boris with the capital's future?
Brian Paddick is the only serious contender for Mayor. As a MET police officer, he knows London and all its strengths and weaknesses.
- Mary, London, England
I don't think it will help Paddick. He needs help on what to wear and what to say. Does he not have any advisers? He is the only one of the three that has held a proper job. I think he is the only one Londoners will trust.
- Edward Lynch, London
This will not make a slightest bit of difference. Boris has more potential and ability than all these fourth-raters put together.
- Tom, St. Albans
Hope he can inject some personality into this "lifeless" man--- he will need to!
I wonder why have the Conservatives rejected this man Hazell in some way thus causing the defection,I don't believe he had a "Lazarus" moment
- Brian Hunwicks, Spain and glad to be here
I'm not surprised at this defection, which is quite logical. I know many decent Tories who find Boris objectionable, insensitive and without policies. I don't agree with his conclusions, but he is right about Steven Norris who at least had strategies and some knowledge of the job.
- Eric Ray, london,UK
If I defected I'd suddenly be a senior Tory. In fact. It's probably the only way I would manage it.
- Praguetory, Praguetory
Excellent comment from Alexis Dogilewski ... Dirk the Dork obviously knows he'll never get anywhere in the Tory party so heads off pronto to sinking boat in the hope he'll have his 15 seconds of "fame" [sic]
- Annabelle, london
More Tories will follow
- Paully, croydon
This sort of thing always happens near an election. The 'has-beens' with no future start jumping ship. I've never heard of this bloke, and I'm sure that in a few days his star will burn out, and we'll never hear anything of any interest (to true Londoners)from him again
- Simon Addinsell, Chelsea, London
'Dirk'? Says it all.
- Gordon Bellars, Thornaby-on-Tees, UK
They can have him back.
- Cleggy, London
Dirk who? Never heard of him.
- Tom, Watford UK
Who is this defective Tory?
If Norris came second then this Mr Hazell can't have been all that good at his job. So that'll boost Paddick's chances then, won't it?
- Chuck Unsworth, London
To quote Winston Churchill when a conservative MP crossed the floor of the house 6 decades ago."I have never known a rat to go to a sinking ship"
- Alexis Dogilewski, London, England
