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Labour's Jon Cruddas is winning high-level backing to take on Boris Johnson in the 2012 mayoral battle, the Standard has learned.
The Dagenham MP is emerging as a potential rival to former mayor Ken Livingstone when the party starts choosing a candidate after the general election.
Mr Cruddas, a popular left-winger who stood for deputy leader, would only stand if he loses his seat, which is possible according to recent polls.
His friends say he has not considered standing for mayor, but one said he could “go for it” and had strong views on the way the capital should be run. Mr Cruddas is currently 16-1 third favourite to win the mayoralty in 2012, after Boris Johnson and Mr Livingstone. The latter is already organising his campaign to regain City Hall but is opposed by some Cabinet ministers who feel voters need a fresh face.
It would take an anti-Labour swing of at least eight per cent to demolish his Commons majority of 7,605. But with boundary changes and the far-Right BNP on the attack, Dagenham & Rainham has become one of 17 key London target seats for David Cameron's Conservatives.
If the election falls on 6 May, London's MPs and 32 borough councils will all face re-election on the same day in a “super-Thursday” poll. Party chiefs are worrying that their campaigning machines will be severely stretched and that some key battlegrounds will not have enough canvassers to go round.
Labour is particularly hard hit because it has lost more than 2,000 councillors across Britain since the 2005 election, badly reducing its pool of activists. Five years ago, it had 6,518 seats in councils but that is down to 4,436, while the Conservatives have gone up from 8,193 to 9,553.
Reader views (33)
Jon who???
Why would a Labour candidate think they could win the Mayoral Election, when they are about to lose the General Election and despised by so many?
- P Staker, London, 20/01/2010 12:21
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Another professional politician ? What wonderful news.
Seriously though, Paddick knows the lay of the land and has actually worked for a wage as opposed to brown-nosing his way thru life (no pun intended 
- Madmax, London, UK, 20/01/2010 02:30
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@Dan
"Despised by the vast majority? Outside your fantasy Ken's vote was not far behind Johnsons and may have been ahead had it not been for the hammering from this papers previous editor."
check your facts. go on I dare you. Livingstone polled much higher than he had in either previous victories, and finished how many hundred thousand votes behind?
go on... take a look, and stop talking out your backside.
- Scotty, london, 19/01/2010 19:05
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@ CM
"Has anyone on here ever noticed when the Evening Standard post an article about Boris, how many pro Boris responsces there are?"
sorry dear boy, but you don't seem to have noticed just *how* much Boris won the election by. it wasn't close, it was a landslide - the fact is, you are your bitter twisted lefty loonies are greatly outnumbered. at ES, and at the polling booths.
and exactly how bad has it got since Boris tookover, you know outside your imagination.
- Scotty, london, 19/01/2010 19:02
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@James from Camden
"Boris is guaranteed a second term for several important reasons: he is liked; trusted; affable; and mostly of all not a useless socialist!"
Meanwhile, on planet earth, only rich people from public school backgrounds who don't have to use transport or actually live in London think like you, James. The rest of us see him for what he is: a useless, bumbling buffoon who is running London for the benefit of his posh pals and no-one else and certainly not in the interests of the less well off.
- Robert C, London UK, 19/01/2010 18:46
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Mr Cruddas, a popular left-winger .....ohhhh noooo !!!
- Richard, LONDON, 19/01/2010 17:33
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I think Labour will end up going with Livingstone simply because if they don't, he will spit his dummy and run as an independent anyway, splitting the leftist vote. But Boris should still win comfortably no matter who they run. I don't think there'll be much appetite for putting anyone in the Labour party in charge of anything for a good few years.
- Kevin T, Beckenham, Kent, 19/01/2010 16:41
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London needs a mayor like New York's mayor.
Bloomberg has revitalized New York.
Livingston and Boris are both inept.
- J Karna, London, 19/01/2010 15:41
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Johnson got elected only because the Tories were seeking a home for their stray idiotics. Why Londoners elected the present clown is beyond reasoning.A Mayor should not be taken from the ranks of any political party but should be independent and of course, elected as usual.
- Thomas Hayes, Bradford UK, 19/01/2010 15:25
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Boris has been a breath of fresh air after the rank hypocrisy of Livingstones reign as London Mayor. He deserves all our praise for no other reason than sacking PC Blair ( politically correct NOT police commissioner). The nulabour luvvies banging on about Eton miss the point - he is not toeing the Tory party line, is a free thinker, and has a great deal to offer. I'd sooner have a Boris as a Prime Minister than Brown,Balls,Harman,Johnson, Prescott,Darling combined.
- Noah Moore, London, 19/01/2010 15:20
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To repeat a previous post, Jon who?
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one, 19/01/2010 15:09
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So what John Cruddas is telling Londoners if I get sacked as an MP than I will deign to be Mayor of London as a second rate job and a second rate Mayor! Livingstone has had 8 years. London needs someone younger with new ideas not a clapped out oap.
- Dave B, Beckenham, 19/01/2010 14:33
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"Please let Ken run, I want to watch his reaction as we finish him off. If he runs, he will be left in absolutely no doubt about how despised he is by the vast majority of Londoners."
Despised by the vast majority? Outside your fantasy Ken's vote was not far behind Johnsons and may have been ahead had it not been for the hammering from this papers previous editor.
- Dan, London, 19/01/2010 14:20
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If the people of Dagnenham don't want him, why on earth does he think the people of London would want him? Johnson seems to be the frontrunner and with the Labour party now so despised by most ordinary hard working people it would be fantasy to even imagine they have a cat in hells chance of winning a mayoral election, mind you this is London we are talking about and with more luvvies, do gooders, liberals and lefties per sq mile than anywhere else in the UK I suppose anything is possible!
- Ed, Hampshire, 19/01/2010 14:20
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We need a person not belonging to any political party,so we can get rid of Eton boy Boris who thinks the working class have an extra 20% to pay in TAX for the rubbish third world London bus service.
- Dave, london, 19/01/2010 14:05
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what about gordon brown for mayor?
He could do for London what he did for the country, the economy and the Labour Party
- John Lowe, London, 19/01/2010 13:53
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Alt last Cruddas can take on a job that he would be good at. I'd go along with it Cruddas speaks for London whereas Johnson just speaks for the Home Counties and Eton.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon, 19/01/2010 13:44
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I take it cmGreed City is the resident Labour supporter then. LOL
Greed City - good name for a Labour supporter - the party that gave the greedy bankers £860 BILLION of OUR money with NO strings attached - wasn't that a good idea eh? Gordon - you pillock.
- Silent Hunter, Fintry, 19/01/2010 13:22
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Cm, Greed City
I voted for Boris (the first time in my life I voted for a Tory) but I am no great fan of his I just absolutely detested Livingstone. Cruddas falls somewhere between the two and I cannot think of anybody in the Labour ranks who has any kudos with your average born and bred London.
- Mark, South-East London, 19/01/2010 13:12
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How about someone who is not a politician for any party? Just a Londoner, with enough managerial experience and success to convince us that he could do the job?
- Nigel, London, 19/01/2010 12:46
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He has done nothing for Dagenham in all the time he has represented them, it would be a disaster if he became Mayor of London. People are knocking Boris Johnson, but lets face it Ken Livingstone was ten times worse.
- E Sullivan, London, 19/01/2010 12:44
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Interesting.
So, Crudas can't control his over inflated ego any longer !!!
Livingstone has also just announced on BBC1's Daily Politics that he intends to run for mayor too !
Some choice !!!
Better the devil you know, this time, methinks.
- Dave, Cumbria, 19/01/2010 12:42
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Jon who?
Please let Ken run, I want to watch his reaction as we finish him off. We should have done it last time, but come the next mayoral election, if he runs, he will be left in absolutely no doubt about how despised he is by the vast majority of Londoners.
- St, London, 19/01/2010 12:37
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He's rubbish.
A Total no hoper.
- Rikrok, London, 19/01/2010 12:37
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Has anyone on here ever noticed when the Evening Standard post an article about Boris, how many pro Boris responsces there are?
Is Boris responding himself to these articles or are his well oiled public relations team working over-time????
As iam a yet to meet a person in London who likes Boris..
somethings not quite rite!
- Cm, Greed City, 19/01/2010 12:33
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Just what London democracy needs - another failed socialist opposition contender!
Don't bother Cruddas, Boris is guaranteed a second term for several important reasons: he is liked; trusted; affable; and mostly of all not a useless socialist!
Doesn't say much for London that Cruddas might become Major candidate if he is "kicked out" as an MP.
So if a failure is good enough for Dagenham then it is good enough for the whole of London? I think not!
- James From Camden, London, 19/01/2010 12:33
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John Cruddas is an intelligent, moderate politician who would be a fantastic successor to Livingstone. I would be suprised if he lost his Commons seat, but I could see him having a chance against the incompetent disaster that is Boris, particularly after Boris's misjudged defence of bankers this week.
- Rich, london, 19/01/2010 12:31
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He cant be that popular if he thinks he will loose his seat,I would like to see him run for mayor though as he has no chance of winning
- Peter Woods, Torre Chiance, 19/01/2010 12:30
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Jon Crudas has to be better then Boris! who only seems to care about the super rich! & bankers! didnt the man say £250,000 he had earned was chicken feed!
BORIS IS UTTERLY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE AVERAGE LONDONER! THINGS HAVE GOT SO BAD IN LONDON SINCE HE TOOK OVER, HE CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO BE MAYOR AGAIN!
- Cm, Greed City, 19/01/2010 12:27
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John Cruddas supports an amnesty for illegal immigrants so he's probably not too popular with the locals in Dagenham & Rainham at the moment.
- Mark, South-East London, 19/01/2010 12:22
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If you can do better than Boris, God bless you all! You deserve all you will get AGAIN "!!!!!
Ed.
- Ed Mulligan, London, 19/01/2010 12:10
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Nothing personal Jon but I don't want asnyone of the Labour Party being in charge of anything in this country ever again.
We just can't affords it!
- Richard, London, 19/01/2010 12:07
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So Jon Cruddas says if his constituents kick him out he will stand for London Mayor. That’s his type democracy for you, just like the EU’s – the people will keep voting until the ruling class gets the result it wants.
How about going for real democracy. Londoners only select who their candidates should be and Londoners only find the funds to promote their candidates campaigns. In that way a London Mayor could at least be said to represent the people of London.
- Ian B, Reading, England, 19/01/2010 12:00
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