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Evening Standard comment: Ten days to go
Evening Standard21 Apr 2008
The race between the two main Mayoral candidates is now extraordinarily close, according to the latest YouGov survey conducted by this paper.
On first-preference votes, Boris Johnson leads Ken Livingstone by seven per cent, with 44 per cent to Mr Livingstone's 37 per cent - with the Lib-Dems' Brian Paddick on 12 per cent.
But in the run-off in the crucial second-preference votes, Mr Johnson's lead has narrowed to six per cent, the closest in recent weeks. Indeed a separate poll by MRUK yesterday suggested that Mr Livingstone has a lead in first-preference votes, with a dead heat in second preferences.
This is positive: such contests lead to higher levels of voter participation and interest. They also lead to greater scrutiny of the candidates and their manifestos. Many voters have reservations about Mr Johnson's seriousness, something he is trying to remedy by giving some details of his future team - but he still needs to reassure voters that he has the experienced executives to give him real weight.
As for the Mayor, one problematic element of Mr Livingstone's record is his past support for individuals linked to religious or political extremism. As we report today, one man whom Mr Livingstone has promoted to the board of TfL, Dabinderjit Singh, had links to extremist Sikh organisations.
With 10 days to go, this campaign is likely to become even more heated. For both main candidates, there is still everything to play for.
