Candidates react to timetable delay

Nick Ferrari, who protested the primary's tight timetable, is quoted in today's Telegraph:"If the real David Cameron doesn't stand up soon, how can he expect the rest of us to get off our backsides and vote for him?"

James Cleverly has withdrawn from the race: "Due to the change in timescale for applications I have had to withdraw from the race to become the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London.  I am confident that we will ultimately have a great candidate who will beat Labour in 2008.  Please continue using the Ideas Forum for London, I am sure it will prove a valuable source of ideas for our successful candidate.  Thank you all for your messages of support."

Abolitionist candidate Lee Rotherham is pressing ahead: "My position is that the mayoral hustings are an opportunity to open up discussion.  I'd be delighted if there are more people out there like myself who want to open up the agenda and contribute to the Conservative renaissance.  But equally there might not be. My hat remains in the ring, and I will be delighted over the coming months to play my part in our debate on London's future."

Warwick Lightfoot is also still in the race: "The idea of an open primary was an excellent and imaginative innovation. New life needs to be breathed into British politics. The traditional political machines are exhausted. Primaries are a good way of involving the wider electorate in choosing the candidate. Organising them without a fully worked up legal and administrative framework and the sort of popular democratic infrastructure that many American states and local authorities already have is a challenge for any political party.  I am maintaining my campaign to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London and I am happy to submit myself to whatever democratic process our Party decides is appropriate. I have set out a practical and radical agenda of public service reform. London needs a mayor who will grip crime, reform the Police, ensure that London has a safe and efficient transport system and gets value for money from the billions spent in the budgets of City Hall. I am looking forward to taking my case to every borough and community in Greater London."

Andrew Boff, whose candidacy was unveiled in Friday's Evening Standard, has issued a statement to Direct Democracy, about creating a more democratically active London citizenry: "Direct democracy is grown-up democracy, and I think the government in London - of all places - should be a bit more mature by trusting the people.  For that reason, if chosen as Mayor I will introduce a voter initiative procedure, as is common in other countries, that will allow electors, if they are able to raise the names of probably 10 per cent of voters on a petition over a two-month period, to ballot Londoners on any issue within the Mayor's remit at the following ordinary election. If I am successful in my bid, the same procedure could also be used to recall the Mayor - which means recalling me if I screw up.  Having been a borough leader in the 1990s, I want to improve London by "naming and shaming" boroughs which don't perform, rather than by centralising any more power - you can't believe in power to the people and then accumulate powers for yourself, but you can use that position to give the boroughs a boot up the backside."

ConservativeHome also understands that Richard Barnes, Nick Boles and Victoria Borwick
are all still running.

Comments

[Wat Tyler]

Ferrari today, Honda...sorry, Jeremy Clarkson yesterday (see his ST column).

I still don't see why a high profile right winger would want to run as Tory candidate for Mayor. He/she would be much better off running as an independent like Ken, without all the centrist restrictions imposed by Central Office.

And it would be better for us Tories too- eg London could benefit from tougher policing without involving Dave in any of that nasty stuff. Someone else would be up there taking responsibility, leaving him to watch from the sidelines until media opinion had been swung round.

[Selsdon Man]

I have to question James Cleverly's reason for withdrawing from the Mayoral race. The date of the Mayoral election has not changed. The only timescale difference is that the primary candidates will spend six more months campaigning for the nimination, rather than the election.

I now doubt whether James Cleverly was a serious Mayoral candidate. His candidacy appears to be have been a self-publicity stunt to raise his profile to get on the A list (successful!) and in applying for Parliamentary seats.

The primary deserved better than to be used in such a cynical manner by an individual who did dod not expect to win and whose priorities lay elsewhere.

[Serf]

The only timescale difference is that the primary candidates will spend six more months campaigning for the nomination, rather than the election.

There is a big difference between campaigning as a candidate and campaigning to be candidate. It may well be that James's personal circumstances are such that he cannot afford to campaign for the extra six months. Were he successful however, following selection he would have been expecting all of us as supporters.

As for him not expecting to win, the field would be a little thin if we only wanted those with a very good chance of winning, and that would make a primary pointless.

If he did use it to gain publicity, good luck to him. Its called ambition and no-one will ever be a successful politician without it.

[The Daily Pundit]

"who did dod not expect to win" - Ken Dodd.

[Stevo]

I'm not surprised that James pulled out. The delay sends out the message that CCHQ dosen't think that the current set of candidates is good enough. That is hardly the best start to anyone's campaign.

If CCHQ are allowed to change their plans so is James.

[Claire Turner]

The leadership appears to be sending out the message that they believe James Cleverly and Nick Boles are more suited to applying for parliamentary seats.

Not only have they delayed the contest to try to attract better quality candidates. They have also written to Mr. Cleverly advising him that he is now on the priority list for parliamentary constituencies and they have presumably written to Mr. Boles advising him that he has been negligent in failing to apply for any parliamentary constituency selections despite being approved for the priority list.

[lucy74]

Wonder if Steve Norris will now be persuaded to stand. Whilst Nick Boles would be an excellent candidate and mayor, as a big name is apparently necessary, who better than Steve?

[Puzzled]

Cllr Simon Fawthrop a member of Bromley Council has also announced his intention to stand.

[michael mcgough]

It might help future Mayoral candidates if CCHQ spelt out what qualities over and above those needed to be on the first( or second )CLASS A list are required.Clearly James Cleverly would benefit from this knowledge.

[Annabel Herriott]

Just finished watching newsnight. Another good example of the Beeb lady trying to wrong foot the tories. Tim! You were excellent. But why the byronic hairdo? I almost did not recognise you.

[Paul Bee]

Having just watched Newsnight re: potential Conservative candidates for the London Mayor, it was refreshing to hear Tim condemning the Party's shambolic strategy concerning appealing to A list candidates.

Also, I thought Steve Norris' remarks explaining why there was a need for an extension for a timeframe, i.e., only party activists rather than celebrities had so far come forward, undermined those who obviously embrace the Tory cause.

Shame really, as this country needs a viable opposition to Blair who still follows in Thatcher's footsteps!

[Annabel Herriott]

As a non Londoner, is it now time, in view of todays terrorist threat at Heathrow and other airports, to wonder whether we should have someone like John Stevens as London Mayor???

[london tory]

"wonder whether we should have someone like John Stevens as London Mayor???"

We would do better to have someone who had a plan to reduce crime in London. Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington proved unable to do this when he had the perfect opportunity, arguably exercising more power over London's police than Mayor Livingstone himself.

The Lord Stevens record on crime in Loondon comparing the calendar year of 2004 (his final full year as head of the Metropolitan Police Service) with calendar year 2000:

Murder up by 10%
Rape up by 12%
Assault up by 14%
Theft up by 14%

Having senior police experience is not the same as being effective on the job.

Compare the Livingstone-Stevens record with the the first five years of New York's Mayor Rudy Giuliani and NYPD Commissioners Bratton and Safir who held the equivalent of Stevens' job during that time period:

Homicide down 67%
Rape down 27%
Assualt down 30%
Larceny-theft down 38%

And Giuliani achieved these reductions after inheriting far higher levels of crime than Livingstone and Stevens inherited when they took up their positions in 2000.

[Helen Bruce]

Londontory is right. All Livingstone would have to do is say to Baron Stevens if he ran against him is: if you think I'm doing a bad job re: policing, why didn't you do or say something about it when you had the chance?

[kris]

I am somewhat surprised by Andrew Boff's interest. He recently ran for mayor of hackney and I never saw or heard from him or any other conservative candidates in the run up to the election. I think he would be great as Mayor of London- and I did vote for him for Mayor of Hackney- but my question is- is he just throwing his hat in the ring to raise his profie or is he a serious candidate?