ConservativeHome's London Mayor blog

Paddick: Tories approached me to be their mayoral candidate

Earlier this week Brian Paddick was confirmed as the LibDem candidate for London Mayor.  In an interview just aired on BBC1's Politics Show the former Met police officer reveals that he was approached to throw his hat into the ring for the Tory nomination.

He tells The Politics Show: “I was approached by another political party to run as their candidate for Mayor and I just couldn’t do it because my conviction is Liberal Democrat.”

He replies "yes" when asked if he means the Conservative Party.

Paddick describes Sir Ian Blair an ‘ally of the  Labour party’ and suggests, somewhat unbelievably, that the Met Commissioner allowed ‘Vote Labour’ to be painted on the side of a police vehicle.  Now, Ian Blair may be biased, politically correct and not-up-to-the-job but he's not that stupid.  Surely?

Given the Greg Dyke debacle it's possible that the Tories approached this soft-on-drugs policeman but Paddick is largely mischief-making here.

Cameron makes light of Boris Johnson's campaign but donors express dismay to The Times

This morning's Times has more on the drift within the Boris Johnson campaign:

"Nothing has distilled the Tory leader’s doubts about his London mayoral candidate quite like Mr Johnson’s failure to exploit the fallout over the Stockwell shooting.

Mr Livingstone has left himself exposed by mounting a staunch defence of Sir Ian, but Mr Johnson has been all but mute. He gave a single quote on the day of the prosecution, saying that the commissioner should consider his position. Mr Cameron, addressing a function on Monday, made fun of his candidate saying: “Inside Boris there is a serious, ambitious politician fighting to get out.” The gag, while seemingly affectionate, was laced with menace.

Even donors to Mr Johnson’s campaign – he has so far registered £80,000 – express dismay privately at the hush that has settled over his mayoral effort. Other critics noted that the first public act of Mr Johnson’s campaign office on moving into new accommodation was to dispatch invitations to a Christmas party.

It is not denied that there was a meeting between Mr Johnson and George Osborne, the Tories’ campaign supremo, recently. It is thought that Mr Osborne pressed Boris to step up a gear and attempted to impose James McGrath, a Conservative Central Office staffer, to help to inject urgency. Nor is it denied that the Tory candidate has spent much of his time on the filming of a BBC documentary on London’s cultural heritage.

What Mr Johnson denies vehemently is that his failure to be more involved in what he calls the “scalp-hunt-ing” of Sir Ian is linked to his filming. He said that he had agreed long ago with David Davis that he would leave the field clear for the Shadow Home Secretary on the question of Sir Ian’s future. He does now think, he added, that Sir Ian’s position is untenable."

Related link: Get going now, Boris says Stephan Shakespeare

6.30pm: Ben Brogan's view

LibDems select Brian Paddick as their candidate

Paddick made his first speech as LibDem mayoral candidate today:

"Londoners have had enough of Ken Livingstone; even some of his supporters think eight years is long enough, let alone twelve if he were to be re-elected. The part-time Member of Parliament for Henley-on-Thames, part-time quiz show host, part-time right-wing columnist, is never going to represent Londoners, even if he was prepared to stop playing the fool - which he’s not. I am the only serious alternative to Ken Livingstone and I have the background, the skills and the experience to do the job and do it well. Some might say I am not really a politician, well thank goodness for that! I have a hard-earned reputation for being open and honest, for telling the truth even when it is not what people want to hear. I am not going to throw that reputation away now."

The Guardian profiled the gay, "soft-on-drugs" senior Metropolitan policeman a couple of months ago.

How much of a threat do you think he will pose to Ken & Boris?

CCHQ concerned at "drift" in Johnson campaign

A senior source inside CCHQ has approached ConservativeHome to warn of "worrying drift" within the Boris Johnson campaign.  The problem is "not terminal", they said, and "there was plenty of time to put things right" but Mr Johnson and his advisers had to be more open to help from the central machine and needed "more urgency".

Mr Johnson met George Osborne last week to discuss the kind of support that CCHQ could provide his campaign to oust Ken Livingstone.

Although London party representatives were shocked at Mr Johnson's lack of preparation for the interview in which he was initially approved as a primary process candidate, the party leadership has been supportive of Mr Johnson's bid from its very first hour.  There is now disappointment, however, that the Henley MP is not yet firing on all cylinders.  One Tory GLA candidate told ConservativeHome that the lack of any pre-Christmas campaign plan was "crazy".  Commercial obligations - agreed to before his primary process victory - are partly responsible for the pre-Christmas lull in activity.  The latest news release on his website is from 28th September - the day of his primary victory.

A London Conservative MP suggests that the Johnson team needed more heavyweights - particularly in terms of media strategy.  The Johnson campaign is currently relying heavily on Dan Ritterband.  Ritterband is well regarded throughout the party for his creativity but the campaign lacks an "organisation man" according to the London MP contacted by ConservativeHome.

Last week's endorsement of Hillary Clinton infuriated ConservativeHome's CCHQ contact: "It showed a lack of discipline.  Backing Hillary won't win one vote for Boris.  He needs to look like a Giuliani candidate not a Clinton candidate.  After backing Hillary he has probably forfeited any chance of help from the world's most successful mayor."