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Tory candidate Boris: King Newt's days as Mayor are numbered
Ross Lydall, Evening Standard27.09.07
Boris Johnson today won the Tory nomination to take on Ken Livingstone and promised to restore "common sense government" to London.
He taunted the Mayor with the warning that "King Newt's days are numbered" - a reference to Mr Livingstone's love of amphibians - and vowed to work constructively with the boroughs to solve the capital's problems.
He was hailed by Conservative leader David Cameron as a "great and inspiring candidate" after winning almost 80 per cent of the 20,000 votes cast for the Tory nomination.
Mr Cameron said: "I have known Boris for a couple of years and underneath that sometimes dishevelled exterior is someone with real drive, real passion, real commitment, who really understands the problems that Londoners have.
"Boris, I think, has a huge chance to give the people of London the sort of inspiring leadership they want and need and, above all, to bring people together in London."
Mr Johnson was confirmed as the party's candidate this morning after a Londonwide postal ballot in which around 19,000 Tories and 1,000 non-members voted.
He received 15,661 votes, compared with 1,869 for Kensington and Chelsea councillor Victoria Borwick, 1,674 for Hackney activist Andrew Boff and 609 for Warwick Lightfoot, another Kensington and Chelsea councillor. There were 206 spoiled votes.
Bookmaker William Hill cut Mr Johnson's odds to evens. But Mr Livingstone remains the 4/5 favourite, while former Met Commander Brian Paddick, the expected Liberal Democrat candidate, is a 14/1 outsider.
Mr Johnson greeted the announcement with a photocall outside Tory HQ at Millbank with Mr Cameron and his campaign bus - a battered old Routemaster which he has promised to return to London's streets in a modernised form to replace bendy buses.
He said he had already been on a "magical mystery tour" of London's 33 boroughs and pledged to "work with all the talent and expertise in the London boroughs." This, he said, contrasted with the "civil war" Mr Livingstone was waging with the boroughs in seeking to overrule them over housing and planning.
Mr Johnson made the provision of affordable housing a key plank of his campaign, vowing not to build "rabbit hutch dwellings" in back gardens but homes of which residents would be proud in 100 years. In a clear policy difference with Mr Livingstone, he said shared ownership schemes were the best way to help people take their first step on the property ladder.
The Mayor, by contrast, wants to use public funds to offer subsidies to developers to encourage them to build more homes to increase the overall supply.
Reader views (30)
I am backing Boris all the way, I believe that London needs a little more energy going into it and Livingstone isn't quite doing it for me.
- Sarah, Kensington, London
As a gay man, I cannot say that I have ever been a worshipper of Boris Johnson and his social conservatism. But I have to admit, I am seriously considering voting for him. Londoners are so sick of the street gangs, the fear on public transport, the lax attitude taken toward cyclists (especially with the rise of the bendy buses), drunken louts hurling abuse in the wee hours, the tagging, the vandalism, the viciousness. If I can seriously believe he will not go out of his way to make life difficult for gay people, I will gladly cast my ballot for him.
- David, Muswell Hill, UK
Boris Johnson might be a little prone to gaffes. He might not be on-message all the time. He might state unwelcome truths about chilren's preferred diets. He's also often right. I applaud him for having the maverick courage to say what we are all thinking but won't say. I'll be voting for Boris and Ken is in for a rude shock.
- Tom, London UK
This guarantees the re-election of Ken Livingstone which, in my opinion, is for the best.
- Neil, Gloucestershire, England.
All you "anti" Borisites are deluded if you really think he's a buffoon. Frankly just goes to show your ignorance. He was the editor of the Telegraph, journalist for the Times and is an extremely intelligent person. I think all the anti-type voters (fuelled by Labour) are capable of is personal and underhanded jibing. I can only suppose it is the case given that Boris is going to win the Mayoral election and they're terrified at the prospect. On the other hand all King Newt is capable of is rallying up with the Communist Autocrat Chavez, along with the other undesirables he invites to speak in London against our way of life.
Go Boris!
- Liz, London,UK
There are too many layabouts living the good life in London who have a cushy number funded by taxpayers. These are the people who will vote for Ken time and time again. Most Londoners are apathetic and the Tories are led by a public school idiot who is more or less a clone of Bliar and voters will associate Boris with CMD.
- M Young, S London, UK
I am sorry, he is a joke and a buffoon. Totally right wing. I shall not vote for him even if you pay me. He will be a diasater for London.
- Aftab Noorani, London
Time for smug Ken to pack it in. You've pushed us all around for too long. Ignoring what taxpaying Londoners really want so you can generate more attention for your gigantic ego. I'm fed up paying for your crackpot schemes that don't work. I'd gladly give anyone else a chance just to stop seeing you and hearing your foolish insults any longer.
Go Boris, see him off. It's time for us to be proud again of this great city.
- Chris, London
If Andrew ever ventured out onto the streets of London he'd realise that the routemaster would make a real difference. Not just replacing disastrous bendy buses, but bringing back conductors which would make people feel safer and getting traffic moving rather than holding it up as one man buses do. He's not going to bring world peace, but I'd settle for a quicker journey!
- Mark, London, UK
London simply cannot continue on the way it has under KL. Let's give Boris a go!
- R M, London, UK
I am a Tory voter and I think the choice of Boris Johnson as the Tory candidate for Mayor of LOndon is an appalling joke. He is a complete buffoon.
- Bob, London
I am a Tory voter and I think the choice of Boris Johnson as the Tory candidate for Mayor of London is an apalling joke.
- Bob, London
I wouldn't give him the keys to my car, let alone give him the chance to run something serious like London.
- Alastair Mckenzie, London
This really is an insult to Londoners.
Why do the Tory party keep putting up these elitist candidates who have no hope of been elected.
First it is David Cameron for PM and now his Bullingdon club collegue Boris Johnson for Mayor of London.
- David Dee, Canterbury
Boris Johnson's got a fair chance, people are fed up with Ken Livingstone.
- Chris, London, UK
I'll vote for Boris. The amount we have to pay through our council tax is ridiculous!
- Sukh, Ilford
I think it is great that there is finally a credible candidate who will see the bigger picture. Go for it, Boris!
- Stephen, London
Why only London, compared to all the other so-called representatives of the People, Boris is in tune with us the taxpayer!
- Ian B, Reading, UK
I'll vote for him. I don't think he is that bad and I hate Ken Livingstone. I didn't think it would be long though before the 'racism' brigade ganged up on him.
- Cameron, London
Unfortunately this yet again proves that the Tories are still besotted with the idea of celebrity rather than solid politics. The selection of Boris Johnson will no doubt turn into yet another embarrassment for the Tories who are floundering in the polls due to Boris's Oxford classmate David Cameron. I'd rather he made serious statements about the likes of Crossrail and not hark back to the past with fluff like 'bring back routemaster buses'.
- Andrew, London
If Boris is so populer why did only 1 in 400 Londoners bother to vote? As for keeping to policies what is the "King Newt" jibe all about?
- Steve, London
The irritating thing about this battle is it's already being fought solely on class: On the lower/left you have Ken, nice to the poor, nice to the out of work, nice to the disabled and nice to the nimby. On the upper/right you've Boris, who's talking about taxes, environment and things that the people that make London's economy tick care about.
Unfortunately, I think that this is just go to lead to bitter divisiveness rather than an intelligent debate about the future of this city that addresses our crippled transport network, our exorbitant rates of tax and ludicrous costs of general living.
- Neil, Notting Hill
Boris is a joke. Anyone who thinks he is interested in helping Londoners is deluded.
- Billy Shearer, London
Some of the comments that have been made at the Labour Party Conference about Boris are not appropriate. Much better that a contest be fought on the basis of policies than have personal comments made about the participants. Good Luck to Boris in the contest. If he wins, maybe he could do something about the levels of Council Tax here in London. Year after year for as long as I can remember, the annual rate of increase in Council Tax has been more than the rate of inflation. Companies in the private sector would go out of business if they could not control costs better. Where I live, you can see where some of this extra money is being spent - needless traffic management schemes. Also, if he wins, maybe he could do something really radical - if he undertakes any widespread consultations, maybe he could listen to what the majority of people consulted are saying to him and take their wishes into account in his decision making.
- Robert, London, England
He's smarter than he behaves, unfortunately he keeps it under wraps too well. Another 4 years of Livingston then. Why are the Tories being so stupid at the moment?
- Nu, London
I'm looking forward to this contest. You know that it will be close when insults start flying!
- David, Sussex
Excellent news, a heavyweight candidate to take on Livingstone. This will be an interesting contest which should enliven politics in the capital.
- George, London, England
This is great news for London and the people that live and work here.
- Mike, London
At last! Somebody who will listen and give this city the shake up it desperately needs. That's if there are enough Londoners left, they are leaving in droves because of the unsatisfactory standards of living here!
- Anon, France
This choice is an insult to London.
- Philip, London, England
