ConservativeHome's London Mayor blog

John Bird confirms intention to challenge Livingstone... but not as a Tory

Explaining his decision not to seek the Tory nomination to last night's Evening Standard, Mr Bird admitted that he veers from the extreme Right-wing (the modern benefits system is a form of "social poisoning" that creates dependency and "sponsors failure") to its diametric opposite ("social housing should be the supreme priority of all regeneration schemes").

The Independent covers the news this morning:

"Londoners, he said, were brushing shoulders with crime, social dislocation and antisocial behaviour all the time. "The first thing I would do as mayor would be to look at the great oxygenators of social conflict in London. " But Mr Bird was equivocal on the principal issue which divides the opinion of Londoners in the Livingstone era - the congestion zone, recently extended westwards, where motorists pay to enter central London. Mr Bird said that while it was a "brave" and possibly necessary thing to do, it was badly run and had harmed Mr Livingstone's reputation."

Big Issue founder John Bird may be Cameron's candidate for London Mayor

The Observer's Pendennis column adds another name to the long list of potential Conservative candidates to oust Ken Livingstone.  That name is John Bird, campaigner for Britain's homeless.  Mr Bird founded the hugely successful Big Issue magazine as a way of generating both work and income for the homeless.  John Bird, who has appeared on webcameron and spoke at a recent Tory conference on social responsibility, would reportedly focus on an overhaul of London's prisons and congestion charge.  If he had sufficient credibility amongst London's Tories his anti-poverty credentials could ensure him plenty of second preference votes amongst lefter-leaning voters.