ConservativeHome's London Mayor blog

Boris' new election broadcast

We're grateful to have been given advance viewing of Boris' new election broadcast. It's very impressive.

At just under five minutes it's longer than the previous one and has good shots of him campaigning all around London - including being hugged by a bus driver, greeting a voter in French, being cheered by members of the public as he cycles past, and interrupting a TV interview with David Cameron to talk to the crowd about Heathrow...

The main quotes from the video are:

• "London is the city I've spent most of my working life in, it's the city I love, but for too many Londoners, the quality of our lives is not improving - and that's why I think it's time to apply fresh thinking, and creativity, and energy to the problems that really concern Londoners."
• "My trips around London have taught me what really matters to people: the nightmare of the school run, protecting our green spaces, improving recycling... and their view of us modern day politicians."
• "It makes me really angry when I meet child after child who says they've either been mugged on the bus or shortly after getting off it, and that's why I think it's vital that we put more uniformed police on the buses and drive out the so-called minor crime and disorder. Because if we crack down on minor crime and disorder we can make a real difference to the serious crime that also afflicts our city."
  
• "I think it's time to recriminalise crime. What I mean by recriminalising crime is taking your experience of crime seriously and not endlessly downgrading thigns that happen, assaults, thefts of mobile phones, and just calling it anti-social behaviour. This is a crime!"
  
• "One of the problems we all face is that people are so disillusioned about politics, and with Parliament now trying to clean up its act I want to go a step further by putting every penny I spend as your Mayor online available for you to consult on my website."
• "I'll tell you one thing that really annoys me, it's people saying that I'm going to cancel the Freedom Pass. It's just not true,under my mayoralty the Freedom Pass will be guaranteed round-the-clock on all modes of transport."
• "When I look at London I don't just see the greatest financial and cultural centre on earth. I also see a city that is fantastically open, and tolerant, and cosmopolitan, an example to the rest of the planet. But I believe London could be greater still, and when I become mayor it will be safer, more openly administrated, it will be cleaner and easier to move around in. In order to make that change it's vital that you vote for me, Boris Johnson, as mayor, and for the Conservatives for the GLA on May 1st."

Go to PlayPolitical.com for all the candidate videos.

Why are you voting for Boris?

Iain Martin is the new Comment Editor of The Telegraph (click here to add your opinion to our thread discussing what he should do with the newspaper's opinion pages).  Iain's own Telegraph column of this morning makes the case for voting for Boris.  This is his favourite initiative:

"His most interesting venture would be the building of a bully pulpit with his proposed mayor's fund, designed to attract philanthropic donations from the City which would then be forwarded to voluntary organisations engaged in all manner of good and important work.  This quaint-sounding initiative carries within it the seeds of a bigger revolution in social policy which has been brewing in think-tanks and the brains of brighter Tories.

Livingstone and his kind require a highly bureaucratic, statist model, because it guarantees a lock on patronage and spending, which in turn delivers a client constituency, control and power in perpetuity.  Encouraging free institutions to work in concert, convincing them they need not be the creatures of government, is a condition for the overdue regeneration of our civic society."

We're pretty keen on that initiative too.  The philanthropic spirit in Britain is very weak compared to the US.  If Boris can make charitable giving fashionable in our country he could have an impact over many generations.

We also like Mr Johnson's commitment to crime mapping.  This will mean that the police will no longer be able to hide very different levels of crime and performance in different parts of London.  Those blighted by high crime will have the information they need to pressure the authorities for better policing.  Over time we'll also see which borough commanders are performing best.  Mapping was at the heart of New York's zero tolerance revolution.

Please use the thread below to state your favourite reason for voting for Boris.  A bottle of champagne for the best suggestion.  And not just any champagne - M&S champagne!

We'll then publish The Top Ten Reasons For Backing Boris tomorrow.

Political insiders argue that Boris Johnson should emphasise his serious side in final stages of London campaign

Later this morning we'll have the latest YouGov poll for The Evening Standard.  An Ipsos MORI poll for yesterday's Observer had Boris Johnson 2% ahead on second preferences.

In the meantime PoliticsHome.com has just published a poll of one hundred political insiders and their responses to what Boris Johnson should do next.  The panel's key conclusions were:

1. "Keep focus away from the candidate himself by primarily presenting Boris as the anti-Ken option and the face of a cabinet-style of government, supported by professionals
2. Keep up the attacks on Ken as both enmeshed in corruption and cronyism and a tired figure of the past
3. Maximise chances of winning the second-preference vote by focusing on the environment and social exclusion
4. Above all, focus on combatting the impression that Boris is an unserious candidate who has never run anything substantial
5. Do not ‘let Boris be Boris'. In order to avoid losing his lead, Mr Johnson must contain the eccentricities of his personality and try to present a more conventionally serious image."

Read the full results here and, for fun, watch Rory Bremner's parody of Boris from last night's Bremner, Bird & Fortune programme.

Boris' promise of a Cabinet for London aims to blunt 'inexperience attack'

Conservative Mayoral candidate Boris Johnson launched a 'Making London’s Mayor More Accountable’ manifesto yesterday and promised not to seek more than two terms as Mayor.

Other pledges include:

• Closer attention to Londoners' views including respect for public consultations;
• More People's Question Times so voters can press the Mayor more intensively and regularly;
• A closer relationship with London boroughs and councillors;
• New transparency rules which will require full disclosure of the interests of Mayoral advisers;
• A one hundred days review of all City Hall expenditure;
• An independent review of all grants made by the London Development Agency;
• All GLA expenditures of £1,000 or more to be published on the Mayor's website.

Mr Johnson's most important pledge concerns the creation of a Cabinet for London.  The manifesto says:

"The current system, in which the Mayor and a coterie of advisers can take executive decisions with no formal checks and balances, is unsuitable. We believe City Hall should follow the model that is pursued at national and local level; - strong cabinet government.  An informal style of 'sofa government', in which no formal notes are taken during important meetings, leads inevitable to bad government.  We will strengthen the decision-making process in City Hall by introducing a Cabinet for London.  The Cabinet will meet on a regular basis, formal minutes will be taken, and the full agenda papers will be put on the Mayor's website."

This is one of the ideas the London Policy Institute's James Morris suggested in our feature on what Boris should do in his first 100 days. The PoliticsHome Strategy Lab of political insiders concluded that Ken Livingstone's best hope of keeping the Mayoralty was to contrast his record as 'London's CEO' with Boris Johnson's inexperience.  They did not think that Labour's current strategy of painting Boris as extreme was credible.

ConservativeHome believes that the proposal of a Cabinet for London is a vital reassurance for London voters that they can trust Mr Johnson to run London effectively.  Team Boris had hoped to name some of the Cabinet members before 1st May but have decided to recruit some of the biggest fishes after a hoped-for victory.  ConservativeHome understands that the campaign faced the dilemma of naming second division people now (who were willing to take the risk of Boris losing) or outlining a process now and then recruiting the very best after the election.

Download a PDF of the Accountability manifesto.

Team Boris explains Johnson's support for an immigration amnesty

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We asked Boris Johnson's team for a statement on his support for an amnesty for illegal immigrants.  This is what we were sent:

"Boris was speaking in a personal capacity about what he thinks was best for London. He thinks that long term immigrants who have no prospect of going home (and he means by this those who have been here for 10 years - not the 4 years that was reported) should be registered and pay taxes. He understands the party position but came to this view because of a couple of things:

a) London gets a raw deal from the Chancellor. Boroughs get paid per population and if immigrants are ignored, public services are not properly funded.
b) We should be collecting taxes from those who have been here long term."

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday, David Cameron confirmed that the official Tory position is still against amnesties for illegal immigrants.  This is what the Tory leader told The Times:

“The problem with amnesties is that they just store up another for the future, as people expect another one. Boris is his own man. He is standing on his own platform and he dictates his own policies.”

Boris' first election broadcast

Earlier yesterday Ken Livingstone's first broadcast was aired; YouGov showed Boris Johnson 13% ahead on first preferences.

And for a bit of fun you might enjoy this graphic posted by Dan Hamilton at CentreRight.com.

Boris claims to be a victim of 'dirty tricks' as Labour ministers are fined £5 every time they mention his name

It's snowing in London this morning >>>

In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Boris Johnson claims that he is a victim of dirty tricks from opponents:

• Internet hackers broke through a "sophisticated firewall" into systems at his County Hall HQ last week, rendering it inoperable for several hours.
• Mr Johnson also accuses opponents of smearing him on the doorstep: "They are doing blatant misrepresentations of our position, absolutely ruthlessly going around lying about what we are offering. They are literally going round houses knocking on the door and lying.  There's been lots of sub-radar stuff, really abusive. They've read every column I've ever written to see if they can find something to turn into a smear about a position I don't hold. I was quite surprised by the complete intellectual dishonesty in some of the ways they've tried to misrepresent me. I feel determined not to let them get away with it and we won't."

The Sunday Times reveals that Labour Cabinet ministers are fined £5 every time they mention "Boris":

"Why? The government fears that calling him simply Boris makes the maverick appear too charismatic and popular among the voters. Instead, they must refer to him more formally either as “Boris Johnson” or the “Tory candidate”.  The swear box scheme was unveiled at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday by Tessa Jowell, the minister in charge of Labour’s campaign for London mayor, amid polls showing that Johnson is on course to win on May 1.  “She told us that if we refer to him as ‘Boris’ we will only be playing into the hands of the Tories,” said a minister.""

It's good to know that our Cabinet is so busy with the important affairs of state.  The Sunday Times also reveals that the Ken Livingstone campaign is being partly bankrolled by the transport unions that are planning industrial action against London commuters.  He has received £60,000 from unions linked to industrial action.

The latest polls are suggesting a Boris lead but of very different proportions.  YouGov had Boris 10% ahead one week ago.  Slightly more recently a smaller ICM poll put Boris just 1% up.  An analysis of the ICM poll by PoliticalBetting suggested Boris' position was much stronger than that, however.  Of those likeliest to vote Boris was ahead by 6% or 7%.

In a column for The Sunday Telegraph, Iain Martin identifies the two factors that, barring a major development, will determine the outcome of this election:

• Second preferences: "The indications are that Lib Dem voters who are turned off by the alleged corruption and sloppy management of Livingstone's time in office lean in the direction of Boris with their second vote."
• Turnout: "the Tory turnout in previous mayoral elections was very low for two reasons: many thought Ken such a certainty that there was little point in voting, and in outer London the contests were regarded as the irrelevant preserve of inner London life. If Johnson can persuade Tories to vote this time, runs the theory, then he wins." Hence the importance of the 'Buddha of Suburbia' strategy.

The Evening Standard is WRONG about Boris taking cocaine

The Evening Standard is reporting that Boris Johnson has admitted that he took cocaine in his teens.

"Not true" is what Team Boris is telling ConservativeHome.

They dispute a record of a conversation with Janet Street Porter that is being used by the Standard and other media.

The mainstream media likes to think it's much more responsible than the blogosphere but Team Boris tells me that most newspapers that covered this story failed to even approach them for verification.   Mr Johnson is apparently considering all options in his response to what he regards as very inaccurate journalism.

3.45pm: The Evening Standard is hitting back.  It's pointed out this interview that Boris Johnson gave to GQ (quoted in The Independent of 4th June 2007): "Speaking to former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan in GQ magazine, Mr Johnson,42, said of the cocaine episode: "I tried it at university and I remember it vividly. It achieved no pharmacological psychotropic or any other effect on me whatsoever.""

Boris: I don't want BNP voters' second preferences

The BNP has told its London supporters to vote for Boris Johnson as their second preference.

Boris has reacted quickly:

“I utterly and unreservedly condemn the BNP and have no desire whatsoever to receive a single second preference vote from a BNP supporter.  I hope as many Londoners as possible turn out on May 1st to prevent the election of a BNP candidate.  I believe my messages to make the streets safer, improve public transport, protect open spaces and deliver value for money will resonate with voters generally and make them realise they can vote for change in these elections.”

Earlier today a BNP London candidate had to resign after making offensive comments about women.

Without strong support for the mainstream parties there is a real danger that the BNP will win a seat on the Greater London Assembly.

Cameron backs Boris

At a community centre crowded with enthusiastic Tory activists in Enfield, North London, David Cameron has just introduced Boris Johnson at the formal launch of his bid to oust Ken Livingstone as London Mayor.  The choice of Edmonton communicates the importance of the outer boroughs to Boris' hopes but also the neighbourhood has seen four murders of young people in recent times.  Before arriving at the launch Mr Johnson had spent some time with the parents of one of the murder victims.  Fighting crime would be his top priority as Mayor, he promised.

All three speakers at the event - social entrepreneur Ray Lewis, the Conservative leader and Boris Johnson himself - targeted Ken Livingstone's indifference to London's real problems:

• Ray Lewis attacked Ken Livingstone's 'if it bleeds, it leads' remarks and said City Hall had been indifferent to London's deepest problems.
• David Cameron said that Ken Livingstone had lost touch - his administration was badly run, it was bogged down with corruption investigations, he pursued minority causes and he'd given up his independent status and was now part of Labour's failed oversight of London.
• Boris Johnson talked about an '8am expression' on Londoners' faces - not an expression of anger but of resignation - of a belief that tube delays and crime and London's other problems were somehow inevitable.

David Cameron said that London shouldn't be resigned to its current problems.  He pointed to New York's success at beating crime, Munich's revolutionary approach to urban transport and Marseille's provision of extra green space as models for London's future.  London needs new leadership more than anything else, said the Tory leader, and said that Boris Johnson would provide that leadership.  Mr Cameron said that he didn't agree with Mr Johnson on everything (Boris asked him to tell him where their differences were!) but he was twice as energetic and charismatic as Livingstone.  He was, he continued, a proper Conservative: his own man, practical, open-minded and someone able to get things done.

Boris' speech consisted of an overview of his main campaign themes including a radical solution to Heathrow, a promise to 'oysterise' the River Thames and replace bendy buses, 440 extra police support officers for London's buses, more money for social action groups from the London Development Agency and a new Mayor's Fund that will encourage London's wealth creators to give back to the city.

Security was his main theme.  Security, he insisted, was the basis of prosperity and community.  He wanted to build a London where we all let our kids walk to school and play in the park.

The latest poll for the Evening Standard has Boris 10% ahead... but nothing can be taken for granted.  If you want to ensure Ken Livingstone is ousted please visit BackBoris.com.  No excuses for those outside of London; money is needed too!