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Boris isn't serious enough to run London, says Miliband
Pippa Crerar, Political Correspondent16.04.08
Labour's big guns were out canvassing for Ken Livingstone today amid fears that losing London could have national repercussions.
David Miliband, bookmakers' favourite to succeed Gordon Brown, warned voters that Boris Johnson was not serious enough to run the capital.
The Foreign Secretary said the Mayor had put London at the top of international leagues and his Conservative rival would "fritter that away" if elected.
Campaigning in Palmers Green, he said: "Boris Johnson may be bored on the backbenches but London is a great international city not a toy.
"London needs strong leadership from Ken Livingstone, not entertainment for Boris Johnson. It has taken 10 years to put London at the top of the international leagues. It is vital that the next 10 years do not fritter that away."
His backing came as Labour figures admitted privately that losing London could be damaging for the Prime Minister. Publicly, they insist the race is not a referendum on the Government but about issues affecting the capital.
Mr Miliband told voters that in "each and every one" of the 20 countries he had visited as Foreign Secretary the capital was a source of admiration and envy.
"Over the last 10 years it has come to stand for something simple: the one to beat. In terms of its economy, its culture, its people, its daring, its resilience, it is world class. That doesn't happen by accident; it takes leadership," he said.
"Ken Livingstone has provided the vision that has helped London reclaim its place as the number one international city. And critically London is moving forward not standing still. The best thing about Ken is that he is restless for more change not satisfied with the status quo."
Minister for London Tessa Jowell was out on the stump for Mr Livingstonein north London yesterday. Meanwhile, an influential study found today that the contest between Mr Livingstone and Mr Johnson is "too close to call".
The London Communications Agency report suggested the result would depend on second preference votes.
Crucially, it could turn on whether Lib-Dem Brian Paddick endorses either of his main rivals, which he has so far refused to do.
It comes after a YouGov poll for the Evening Standard showed Mr Johnson's lead over his Labour rival had halved in a week. "Both candidates can win," the study said.
"Ken needs to explain how his record to date has benefited London and adopt a more consensual tone of voice. He needs to remind people of the cheeky chappy Londoners liked in the first place. Boris needs to convince voters that he is up to the job as well as just being likeable." It concluded that only the Labour or Tory candidates stood a realistic chance of winning.
London local government expert Tony Travers said: "There is some evidence there is a small lead for one candidate but this is so small you have to call it a 'to the wire' contest."
The LCA said there would be 10 new faces on the London Assembly although its overall make-up would remain almost the same - nine Tories, seven Labour, five Lib-Dems, with the Green party up one to three seats and Ukip gaining one seat.
Reader views (35)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Well in the first place if Boris's policies are so frivolous then why does Ken keep nicking them?
And in the second place, Millibrand couldn't run a whelk stall.
- Thalia, London UK
I notice most of the anti-Ken comments come from people outside of London. Of course they want Boris as mayor - so our city can become as depressing, banal and badly managed as the rest of England.
- Charlie, Soho
Hahaha come on you Nu-Labour crooks, keep hammering the nails into Ken's coffin!
Gordon Brown, David Milliband....who next - Charles Clarke, Blunkett....?
These ghastly creatures have destroyed Britain whilst Ken and his horrendous ultra-communist pigs have made London a prohibitively expensive and oppressive place to live with the hated bendy buses, 180% fare hikes, extortionate and pointless CONgestion Charge, TfL aka Torture for London...
Why do we let these nasty ultra-socialist/fascist Labour crooks treat us like dirt and ruin our lives?
Roll on May 1st - Good riddance Ken and Labour!
- Daniel Howard, London,UK
In the last eight years Livingstone has made London a miserable grey place.
Compare it to Paris or Barcelona.
The millions wasted on left wing grandstanding has hot all council tax payers in the pocket, and the ever extending tentacles need cutting off at source. Congestion charging has produced...congestion, and the proposal to increase this to £25 has more to do with the old left wing politics of hate and envy than it has to do with pollution.
I agree in essence with K Harrop, but would go further. The mayor does not need to be a manager, you can buy managers. What London needs from a mayor is a sense of fairness and liberty and a sense of joi de vivre that can restore pride in London.
- Jeremy, London, England
Well I'm just glad someone is stating the truth about Boris. Running London is a bit more complicated than running a political magazine - which was the biggest job Boris had before getting into Parliament. Does anyone seriously think that Boris would be credible on a world stage? That he would have won the Olympics for London? That he is going to have the time and patience to sit in City Hall day after day and deal with politics and management of London's public services? Of course not! He's not even from London!
- S Saluja, London, England
Always thought Boris Johnson was Labour's best candidate
- Billy Blighty, Sydney Australia
Miliband is just what Boris needs and shows how desperate this bunch of sleazy third raters are.
These vile crooks have wasted billions in London but most of it found it's way into the pockets of cronies and bogus organisations.
Livingstone's hair brained schemes have added hundreds of pounds to council tax bills in and around London but we have nothing to show for it.
Under Livingstone the very name London has become cheap and nasty and stands for rip off Britain.
- K Harrop, Hertford uk
David who? The most pathetic excuse for a Foreign Secretary? It makes me more determined than ever to vote for Boris. Nu Labour is rattled. They have got as low as it is possible and can only resort to personal insults.
- Beatriz, London
David Milliband is a poor excuse for a home secretary let him keep his posh trap shut, firmly !
- Neil Grinsell, london
No doubt nulab's dodgy postal votes will swing it for ken the commie. God help you if he gets in again.
- Albert, Kettering, England
However much I like Boris and want him to do well I can't help thinking that he simply isn't serious enough. He is trying hard to overcome his 'bumbling fool' image but as yet he hasn't quite succeeded, not with me, anyway.
- Richard, London
Labour have done more to destroy communities in London than has been done by any other agency within the last 500 years. More so than the Great Fire, the Plague or the Blitz. Come on Boris, boot out these Fascists of the Left!
- Chris Kay, Swindon UK
I don't get you Rick from Hampshire!
What have you got to do with our London really?
Ken will see off Bore-is want it or not!
- Compay, London
Miliband may not be the greatest foreign secretary, but at least he is smart enough to see that London should be run by a normal Londoner - not some Toff from Oxfordshire.
London is a fantastic place to live and work for millions of people from all over the world - lets not let some TV entertainer let it become a complete joke.
- James, Bromley
Let's hope and pray that Boris doesn't get in, the man is a walking circus of incompetence, not to mention that he has single handedly ostracised London's diverse population with bigoted statements.
A London under him would become secular and diverse. We would lose the multicultural society that we have for the sake of a jumped up clown.
- Joe, Dulwich, London
So the LCA think the make-up of the Assembly will be the same do they? I notice that the BNP have yet again been refused a mention in this snug little bastion of democracy of ours, out of sight out of mind perhaps! I have a sneaking suspicion that there is going to be a lot of 'egg on faces' when the result is published.
Pete.
- Peter C. Lucas, Torquay, England.
Ha Ha! Who is young Milliband to tell anybody anything about running things? He is totally wet behind the ears and has never run anything, so his advice is pointless.
- Patrick, Wandsworth, England
Maybe Milliband should ask Ken what he thinks his(Ken's) greatest achievement has been.
- Bob, London
Next thing they'll be saying Boris doesn't understand enough about how to bribe people like Ken does with his pet groupings,... allegedly. Labour are grasping at straws with this one, don't they think we remember that Ken wasn't actually wanted by the Labour party? They put up a candidate against him didn't they all those years ago. And as for London moving ahead under Ken, it's dirtier, more expensive to get around, more violent by far,... every negative you can think of since he came along and the one thing he did get right, criticising people for acting like Nazis, he backed down on. Pathetic just about sums Ken and his chums up and I'm a Labour party member too.
- John, Dundee, UK
Boris isn't serious enough?
But Mr Quaradawi is;
And, no doubt, so is Mr Abu Qatada
Goodnight, Mr Livingstone
- Robert, Herts
David Miliband is the elder son of Polish-born Marion Kozak and the late Belgian-born Marxist theoretician Ralph Miliband both Jewish. No wonder they invited so many Poles to this country and allowed them to vote in our Mayoral elections. More importantly this man is a lightweight whose influence abroad is laughable.
- Den, London
This David Miliband is such a glove puppet that he makes his predecessor Margaret Beckett look like a statesman. Labour is running scared because Boris is not the clown they hoped he'd be, and Boris keeps asking awkward questions about Livingstone's dodgy cronies and all the money (our money) Ken has spent on his press office and other schemes to get himself re-elected.
- Marcos, South London
Milliband should keep his mouth shut his lot wanted to smear and finish off Livingstone labour are a disgrace. Boris is OK an intelligent man and now grown up lets kick labour firmly out!
- Paul Connolly, Potters bar herts
And Milliband isn't serious enough to be Foreign Secretary, but we're not stopping him.
- Neil, london uk
Don't tell me one of the labour cronies telling me where to cast my vote. Vote Boris, I cant stand this dictative bunch.
- Del, London
Surely this calls into question Milliband's judgement? Why would he want to align himself so closely with someone who is constantly dogged by controversy and shady dealings?
Also, re this comment, "It has taken 10 years to put London at the top of the international leagues.", does anyone else get the feeling he's trying to convince himself as much as he is us?
- St, London
Is this some kind of sick joke ?
The absolute last person to comment on Boris' ability should be one of nulab's parachute poodles, particularly one with such little experience of anything. We still remember the avoiding of IHT, posh boy.
Go win Boris. That will wipe the smile off his smug little face.
- Rick, Hampshire
Perhaps the real question here is why David Miliband isn't serious enough to be Britain's Foreign Secretary?
Also, how many individual sleaze scandals (donations etc) are currently "outstanding" against Boris Johnson and how many are currently "outstanding" against Ken Livingstone?
Does this mean that Britain's Foreign Secretary "fully supports" a candidate regardless of the fact that his candidate's actions are still open to both legal scrutiny and investigation by the police (and other bodies)? If so, then does this ill-conceived action alone not render our Foreign Secretary "unfit for purpose"?
- Fraser, Telford Park
Nearly choked on my flakes when I heard this. This is from the fourth rater who is such a hopeless light weight as a foreign secretary, people including Brown have to correct his gaffes and re-write his speech. Get real man!
- Tom, St. Albans
With the government going from one disaster to the next I don't think Boris needs to worry about taking advice from David Miliband. I'm going to vote for Boris, he's the only one of the candidates who seems to know what normal Londoners want.
- Will, Angel, Islington
David Milliband isn't serious enough to be foreign secretary and should keep his nose out of Ken's campaign if this a non party political election as Ken never ceases to remind us. Just confirms my view that we've had enough of Ken and had enough of being told what to do by the Labour party.
- Robin, London
Funny - not long ago Ken said this about David Miliband. "The government is fundamentally wrong on this and David Miliband has turned out to be an acute disappointment."
Yes - just like Ken has turned out to be an acute disappointment. The international stage? Taxpayers don't pay hundreds of pounds every month for Ken to go and see his left wing mates in Cuba and Venezuala.
Boris is serious enough to win in London and then do a great job of being mayor of London - he seems to see what needs to be done in the next 4 years unlike Ken who has completely run out of ideas.
- Em, London, UK
Well if David Milliband says so with his impressive record. Oh! Hang on, what has he achieved again? Not just worried for your job are you David?
- Mark, London
David Miliband a "big gun"?, more like a wet fish.
- Ally, London
Entertainment from Boris is infinitely preferable to the joke that is Ken. 15 days to save London.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, Scotland
