ConservativeHome's London Mayor blog: All candidates

Nick Boles is early frontrunner amongst declared candidates

This poll needs to be treated cautiously as it represents the views of only 414 London Tories but these are the answers that were given to the recent questions on the Mayoral race that were included in the April survey of the ConservativeHome Members' Panel.

OPINIONS ON THE GREG DYKE AFFAIR

Greg Dyke is clearly not a Conservative and David Cameron was wrong to approach him to be our candidate: 56.8%
The Dyke affair seriously undermines all of the individuals who have announced that they want to be Conservative candidate for London Mayor: 40.6%
Only a different kind of candidate will defeat Ken Livingstone and the Dyke experiment would have been worthwhile: 28.8%
David Cameron will make any deal and dilute any policy in order to win office and stay in office: 20.3%
Coalitions are the future of politics and Conservatives need to be ready to work with Liberal Democrats and other parties: 9.2%

WHAT KIND OF PERSON WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE BECOME THE CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE FOR LONDON MAYOR?

Someone with a proven record of commitment to Conservative politics in London: 54.1%
A joint candidate with the Liberal Democrats: 1.9%
A popular non-political figure in London such as a radio personality or community leader: 24.4%

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DECLARED CANDIDATES WOULD YOU MOST SUPPORT AS LONDON MAYOR?*

None of them: 28.4%
Nick Boles: 22.9%
Don’t know: 21.4%
Andrew Boff: 9.6%
Victoria Borwick: 5.5%
Lee Rotherham: 5.2%
Richard Barnes: 4.4%
Simon Fawthrop: 3.3%
Warwick Lightfoot: 2.6%
Lurline Champagnie: 1.8%
Winston McKenzie: 0.7%

* A programming error meant that people were able to select more than one candidate in this question and a few did. The total therefore comes to 105.8%.

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING UNDECLARED CANDIDATES WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO SEE BECOME THE CONSERVATIVE CANDIDATE FOR LONDON MAYOR?

Seb Coe: 23.8%
John Major: 22%
John Stevens: 13.2%
Steve Norris: 12.5%
None of the above: 11.7%
Nick Ferrari: 5.5%

May 02, 2007 at 10:08 in All candidates | Permalink | Comments (26)

Is CCHQ showing favoritism in Mayoral race?

An events co-ordinator at CCHQ has sent out this email to members of the Fastrack donors' club:

"Fastrack, our donor club for members in their 20s and 30s, are meeting the Mayoral candidates Nick Boles, Cllr. Victoria Borwick and Cllr. Warwick Lightfoot on Thursday 16th November to discuss their ‘Conservative Vision For London’. The discussion is taking place at Conservative Campaign Headquarters from 6.30 – 8.30pm and we have some places available – these will be allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis."

I'm sure it will be a very interesting meeting but in the run-up to an election CCHQ should be extra careful not to organise meetings where one or more candidates are favoured over others. I have checked with one of the other candidates - Lee Rotherham - and he was not even invited to be on this 'Vision for London' panel. Naughty, naughty Central Office! 10.30am update: "The event has now been postponed because of closure of the CCHQ press conference facility. When it is rearranged let's hope it is a more inclusive gathering..."

Meanwhile Nick Ferrari, LBC radio presenter, has continued to complain about the Tory primary timetable. On Saturday's Radio 4 PM programme and in Saturday's FT, Mr Ferrari repeated his concern that candidates were being asked to campaign for too long in advance of the 2008 mayoral election. The FT reported that:

"Mr Ferrari exacerbated Mr Cameron's woes by saying he was "absolutely" considering running as an independent. Business people had already pledged "not far off" the £1m needed to fund his run at the top London job."

Boris Johnson, the shadow education minister, told the FT that he had rebuffed attempts to persuade him to run.

November 13, 2006 at 00:35 in All candidates | Permalink | Comments (35)

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.

August 07, 2006 at 08:43 in All candidates | Permalink | Comments (15)

Major for Mayor?

That is what Julian Glover is recommending on Comment is free:

"Born in London he cut his political teeth in Lambeth in the 60s, fighting racism and building friendships with other young councillors, including Labour's Tony Banks and Ken Livingstone. He still has fond memories of those days and they shaped most of his views. He likes sport - not just cricket -- which is what the capital needs to keep the Olympics on track after the chaos of Wembley Stadium. He knows the city, and still lives in it. He certainly has the time. He certainly has the money, too. He's run a war and won a general election."

PS Big announcement on the Mayoral race in London's Evening Standard in the 2pm editions. ConservativeHome will report back then for those us living in the rest of the country.

August 02, 2006 at 10:25 in All candidates | Permalink | Comments (24)

Meyer for Mayor? No. Stevens? Probably not. Ferrari?

The Sunday Telegraph suggests that CCHQ has been making last ditch attempts to find a charismatic candidate to run in the Tory mayoral race. The red-socked and indiscreet Sir Christopher Meyer, former British Ambassador to the United States, was reportedly a top target of a 'wining and dining' offensive. Sir Christopher used an interview on BBC News 24 earlier this morning to make it clear that it would be just as likely that he would run for the Presidency of France [where his views on the war on terror would probably be more welcome - Editor].

The Evening Standard has also suggested that CCHQ once had hopes that General Sir Mike Jackson, The Weakest Link's Anne Robinson (friend of Michael Howard), Andrew Neil and Big Issue founder John Bird might be encouraged to stand. Friday's Express Diary reported that Jeremy Clarkson, who lives in Oxfordshire, has also been in the Tory frame. None seem likely to throw their hats into the primary ring.

The likelihood of a bid by John Stevens, former Met Chief, also seems to be receding. Because of his commitment to the inquiry into the death of Princess Diana - not due to be completed until at least early 2007 - he is uncomfortable with the timetable for the primary process. ConservativeHome warned about this very weakness of CCHQ's timetable nearly four months ago:

"The Conservative Party is rightly spending time headhunting candidates for parliamentary seats. We should spend some time encouraging people to be involved in the race for London Mayor... The rush will also be difficult on practical grounds for many possible candidates. Most people with normal jobs can’t drop their business or family plans to run for the Tory nomination throughout this summer. They need time to disentangle themselves from commitments. The people most likely to be ready for a rushed nomination are the very rich or the very political – not necessarily the ideal representatives of David Cameron’s changing Conservative Party."

Although the party did relax the timetable a little it has certainly caused difficulties for big name candidates like Sir John Stevens and Nick Ferrari. LBC's Ferrari is apparently very interested in running for Mayor. He is understood to be talking to the regulators OfCom about whether he can continue to host his radio show whilst seeking the Tory nomination. If OfCom says he cannot he may consider running as an independent.

Ferrari is guest columnist in today's News of the World. Here are three highlights from his column:

On our Foreign Secretary's caravan holiday: "Israel and Lebanon in flames... and the nerve centre for our foreign policy is a holiday caravan trundling along a country lane in France... It is utterly beyond comprehension that our Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett is taking to her trailer for three weeks or so while the world burns. Can you imagine Condoleezza Rice heading into the backwoods at a time like this?"
On Mrs Tony Blair: "So Cherie Booth is to be given the Freedom of the City of London. What do you suppose excited her most about the offer? The word 'free', or the thought of how much it would fetch on eBay?"
On Ken Livingstone: "If you've seen how many cyclists ignore the rules of the road you'll cheer a Ken Livingstone idea which he revealed on my radio show this week: make all bicycles carry licence plates. That will present no problem to law-abiding cyclists, so I trust they will support it. For once, this veteran of the left has come up with an idea that's ride on!"

Victoria Borwick and Warwick Lightfoot have already declared their intentions to contest the Tory primary. There have been suggestions that Steve Norris won't run for a third time but a thin field might lure him into the process.

July 30, 2006 at 11:06 in All candidates | Permalink | Comments (26)

Tories want Seb for Mayor (but he's not running)

Over 1,500 members voted in the most recent survey of the ConservativeHome Members' Panel but only a fraction - a little more than 200 - volunteered a preferred candidate to take on Ken Livingstone for the London Mayoralty. Given this small sample the post that follows should be taken with a healthy pinch of salt - in a primary election in which there are only, as yet, two declared candidates...

Panelists were asked to volunteer names rather than choose from a list. Once candidates are declared we'll go back to the Panel and retrieve more meaningful results. But this is what we learnt from approximately 220 Tory members:

Seb Coe was the clear favourite. 48 Conservative members volunteered the name of the Tory peer, former MP, two times Olympic gold medallist and Chairman of the Organising Committee for the 2012's London Games. Baron Coe has already ruled himself out of the race, however. So, who's left?

Of those likely to run Steve Norris was top of the poll but only with 22 votes. Given that he has been candidate twice before he might have been expected to win more than 10% of the votes cast. Seven people volunteered to vote for ‘Anyone but Steve Norris’ - perhaps remembering the controversies surrounding his connections with Jarvis during the last mayoral election. If Steve does choose to stand, however, his easy charm and liberal outlook will make him a strong contender amongst many Londoners. BUT - reputed to be earning hundreds of thousands of pounds - the former transport minister may find it difficult to afford a third mayoral bid...

The candidate who excites CCHQ is former Met Chief John Stevens. Lord Stevens won the support of 20 members of the ConservativeHome Panel. He has refused to rule out a bid after ConservativeHome broke the possibility of a bid from the man that the News of the World styles as 'The Chief'.

Also winning 20 votes is Michael Portillo. The former MP for Kensington & Chelsea might succeed in reaching across the party aisle but might have trouble motivating the Conservative base. Just the mention of his name is enough to boil the blood of many traditional Tories.

The Tory MP to win most backing is shadow higher education minister Boris Johnson. Although he does not represent a London constituency the cycling former Editor of The Spectator won the support of a dozen panellists. A bid to be Mayor of London would certainly be more promising than a bid to be Liverpool's Mayor!

London MEP Syed Kamall - who narrowly missed out on the Bromley & Chislehurst seat - won a very respectable nine votes.

Nick Ferrari was first suggested by Iain Dale as a candidate and five people named him as their choice. The Sony Award-winning presenter of LBC's breakfast show last week confirmed to the Telegraph's Spy column that he is contemplating seeking the Conservative nomination:

"So many Londoners are fed up with what is happening to our city under Ken Livingstone, it's time for someone to come in and turn it around," he told [Spy] yesterday. "But if I stood, I'd have to give up the radio show - so I've got a lot of thinking to do in the next couple of weeks."Ferrari - who is quoted by bookmaker Ladbrokes at 4-1 to become mayor - would stand on a Right-wing populist platform, including the reintroduction of Routemaster buses and a massive cull of bureaucrats at City Hall."

People registering four votes: Richard Barnes AM, Nicholas Boles (head of the influential Policy Exchange think tank and the modernisers’ choice), Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson and Angie Bray AM (pictured and who recently wrote for ConservativeHome about the congestion charge).

People registering three votes: Andrew Boff (who stood against Steve Norris in 1999 but lost his council seat this May), blogger Iain Dale, environmentalist Zac Goldsmith, the excellent Margot James (who has already ruled herself out), the pro-hunting gay millionaire Ivan Massow (who defected to Labour and then came back), former leader of Westminster Council Simon Milton, Andrew Pelling MP and Carol ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ Thatcher.

People registering two votes: Victoria Borwick (who launched her campaign yesterday), Ken Clarke MP (quite an interesting idea), Warwick Lightfoot (the first to launch a campaign), Wandsworth's Edward Lister, Nikki Page (thwarted during the last selection process) and Andrew Rosindell MP.

People registering one vote: John Bowis, David Burrowes MP, James Cleverly (a ConservativeHome favourite), Brian Coleman AM, Roger Evans AM (who opposed Steve Norris last time round), Dr Liam Fox, Derek Laud of Big Brother fame, Ray Lewis of the Eastside Young Leaders' Academy (an ideal running mate?), Bob Neill MP (because he needs another job!?), Chris Patten, Amanda Platell, Jeff Randall MP, John Redwood MP, Jonathan Ross, Dominic Schofield (who achieved one of the biggest swings to the Tories at the 2005 election), Alan 'you're fired' Sugar, Lord Tebbit, Theresa Villiers MP and EastEnders' Barbara Windsor.