Posts tagged "London"

‘Avowedly Conservative with a big C or a small c’: Boris pledges to cut taxes and boost police numbers as he signs up for second term as London Mayor

• Boris won 1,054,811 first and second preference votes
• Ken finished 62,000 votes behind with 992,273
• Winning margin 51.5% to 48.5%
• Green party candidate Jenny Jones finishes 3rd ahead of Lib Dem Brian Paddick
  
• Result delayed by faulty counting machines
  
• Boris loses two allies; deputy Mayor Richard Barnes and fire chief Brian Coleman

By Martin Robinson, Rick Dewsbury and Daniel Miller

PUBLISHED: 05:40 EST, 3 May 2012 | UPDATED: 08:29 EST, 5 May 2012

Triumphant Boris Johnson promised he and his team would ‘work our socks off’ to deliver on their election promises of cutting taxes and boosting police numbers as he signed up for a second term as London Mayor.

Describing his programme as ‘absolutely, avowedly Conservative with a big C or a small c’, Mr Johnson said he intended to serve another  four years as London’s Mayor despite talk of him becoming the next leader of the Conservative party.

He secured a tense win just before midnight, handing the Conservatives a much-needed morale boost and ending Ken Livingstone’s controversial career in front-line politics.

Four more years? Boris Johnson signed up for a second term as Mayor pledging to cut taxes and keep police numbers high

Victorious: Boris Johnson makes his victory speech as loser Ken Livingstone looks on

As Boris Johnson was returned as London Major last night, a watery eyed Ken Livingstone announced he would not stand again

Mr Johnson secured a lead of 82,000 votes on the first ballot and won by 62,000 once voters’ second preferences were counted.

He beat Mr Livingstone by 1,054,811 to 992,273, securing 51.5 per cent of the vote in the runoff – a smaller margin of victory than he managed in 2008.

Mr Johnson, who was joined by Prime Minister David Cameron at City Hall this morning, said he planned to continue working alongside the Government to secure investment for London.

He said: ‘I think people were listening to what we had to say about taxes, getting rid of all sorts of unnecessary expenditure, putting it where people want to see it.

‘It was a very hard-fought long campaign.

‘I am grateful to the Conservative Party. They did turn out in large numbers to help me but I think we were able to reach people across the city with a message that resonated with them in tough times.’

‘I hope very much to continue working with the Government to get the investment that London needs.”

Backing: Mr Johnson was joined by Prime Minister David Cameron as he signed on for a second term a London Mayor

Mr Johnson said he planned to continue working alongside the Government to secure investment for London

David Cameron said he was ‘delighted’ by Boris Johnson’s mayoral victory and vowed the pair would work together for the good of London.

The Prime Minister praised Mr Johnson for running a “very strong” campaign and said he had enjoyed backing his bid for re-election.

He said: ‘I think it was a very strong campaign by Boris. It was based on his record, on the excellent things he has done out there and I am delighted to congratulate him.

‘It was a campaign the whole Conservative party got behind.

‘I enjoyed campaigning for Boris but now what matters is working together for the good of London, as PM, as Mayor, and that is exactly what we are going to do.’

 Mr Johnson polled 1,054,811 votes to Ken Livingstone’s 992,273 in a contest that was much closer than experts had predicted.

He has pledged to cut council tax in the capital by 10 per cent over the next four years and wants to push ahead with plans to introduce driverless tube trains.

Result: Boris Johnson won the London Mayoral race by a blond whisker

Talking on BBC’s Today programme earlier this morning he said: ‘My programme is absolutely, avowedly Conservative – with a big ‘c’ or a small ‘c’.

‘It’s about cutting taxes, getting rid of useless government expenditure and focusing on the things that matter.’

Asked if he would attempt to be re-elected to parliament in two or three year’s time, allowing him to position himself as a future Tory leader, Mr Johnson told Nick Ferrari on LBC radio: ‘I’m going to say this categorically that the answer to that is no, I don’t want to do that. I want to discharge my mandate and my duty.’

Mr Johnson’s father Stanley refused to rule out the possibility of his son as future leader saying: ‘Who knows?’

Asked by the BBC why Boris bucked the national trend he said: ‘Because he had the charisma and because people believe he is a man that says what he means and he does what he says and that’s something that counts.’

Speaking at the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) annual conference, Education Secretary Michael Gove said the election results were ‘disappointing’, but added he was ‘delighted that Boris Johnson had won the race for Mayor of London’.

‘Governments go through difficult periods in mid-term,’ he said, adding ‘two years into Margaret Thatcher’s first term she was 18 points behind in the polls behind David Steel and Michael Foot.

‘History tells us that the important thing for us to do is to take into account the electorate’s concerns but to address people’s fundamental worries and they are the economy and making sure we reward people that are doing the right thing.’

Mr Gove refused to be drawn on the possibility of Mr Johnson as a future Tory leader, saying: ‘I have no idea who will be leading the Tory Party when David Cameron stands down in 20 to 25 years hence.

‘The thing about Boris is that he is a brilliant Mayor of London.’

Nerves: The leading three await the final results

Mr Johnson’s strong personal showing puts him in pole position to succeed David Cameron as Tory leader and Prime Minister.

He picked up around 44 per cent of first-preference votes, and secured a strong mandate by running ten or more points ahead of the Tories as a party in London.

His performance will be seized upon by disgruntled Conservatives who see his commitment to what they see as real Tory values as a blueprint for Mr Cameron to follow.

Allies of Mr Johnson say he will now tell Mr Cameron he should seek to emulate his optimistic outlook and economic conservatism if he wants to revitalise the party’s support.

A source close to Mr Johnson said: ‘Boris has championed cosmopolitan and compassionate Conservatism.

He has combined that with a bone-dry approach on the economy. If Boris had been seen as a straight Conservative, he would have lost heavily.’

Yesterday Mr Johnson, 47, made clear that he will devote himself to London rather than national politics. He said he will not stand as an MP in the 2015 general election and will stay at City Hall until 2016.

Speaking before the final result was revealed, he said: ‘If I am fortunate enough to win I’ll need four years to deliver what I’ve promised. And having put trust at the heart of this election, I would serve out that term in full.

‘I made a solemn vow to Londoners to lead them out of recession, bring down crime and deliver the growth, investment and jobs that this city so desperately needs.

Keeping that promise cannot be combined with any other political capacity.’

A clearly relieved but tired mayor used his acceptance speech to say he would continue to ‘fight for a fair deal for Londoners’ and win resources from Chancellor George Osborne – Mr Johnson’s most likely opponent in a future Tory leadership election.

His rival Mr Livingstone said: ‘I would like to congratulate Boris on his personal victory.

Whilst Cameron and Osborne are dragging the Tory party down to defeat in the rest of Britain, not only have you won another term but I suspect this result has settled the question of the next Tory leadership election.’

The London mayoral election results were delayed for two hours after two ballot boxes went astray

Looking back on his career, he said he had won 11 elections and lost three.

‘This is the defeat I most regret,’ he added.

The Liberal Democrat candidate, Brian Paddick, faced humiliation. He was beaten into fourth place by Green candidate Jenny Jones by 7,000 votes, and was not far ahead of independent Siobhan Benita.

Mr Johnson’s victory came even as the Tories were trounced by Labour in the London Assembly elections.

Labour picked up two seats from the Tories, with Mr Johnson’s deputy mayor Richard Barnes defeated in Ealing and Hillingdon while Brian  Coleman lost in Barnet and Camden.

The mayoral result brought a halt to the rollercoaster career of Mr Livingstone, one of the most controversial and distinctive voices in politics.

The leader of the Greater London Council in the 1980s until Margaret Thatcher closed it down, he served a decade on the Labour backbenches until the Blair government created the role of London mayor.

Kiss for luck: Ken Livingstone said goodbye to his wife Emma as he took Coco the family dog out with him on results day

Slurs: Ken says that the 2012 campaign to be Mayor has been the most negative he has taken part in and claims he has been smeared

Favourite: Boris Johnson wound down from campaigning by taking wife Marina for drinks at London’s fashionable Rose Club on Thursday night

Mr Livingstone was frozen out of the selection process and resigned to run his first campaign as an independent.  He won easily in 2000 and ran again – this time as the Labour candidate – in 2004.

But last night he lost a second successive election to arguably the only other British politician instantly recognisable by his Christian name alone.

Mr Johnson paid tribute to his opponent, saying: ‘Of all the left-wing politicians I can think of, you have been amongst the most creative and imaginative.’

He said he would happily share a ‘non-taxpayer-subsidised drink’ with Mr Livingstone ‘as long as you promise not to run again’.

Mr Livingstone’s mayoral prospects were severely damaged by the accusation that he has avoided thousands of pounds in income tax by funnelling his earnings through a company. Last night he said: ‘This is my last election.’

Not all senior Labour figures were hoping for a Livingstone victory, since they regard the left-winger as a loose cannon.

The party’s leader Ed Miliband also hopes that Mr Johnson, who has distanced himself from the Coalition and its Budget, will continue to be a thorn in the Prime Minister’s side by criticising him from the Right.

Thumbs up: Boris was confident he would win – and he was right

Big task: Workers across London spent hours counting millions of votes

Close: Boris took an early lead but it remained a close run contest between him and Ken

I’m voting for daddy: Boris and wife Marina at the polling station on Thursday with his daughter Lara Johnson, who voted for the first time after turning 18

A performance like that will intensify speculation that the party could be all but wiped out at the next General Election and that Mr Clegg could face a leadership challenge before 2015.

‘We always expected elections to be difficult last year and this year,’ one source insisted.

The Conservatives expect to lose around 450 council seats, but hope their vote share will be significantly better than recent polls suggest, at around 35 per cent.

In London, the YouGov survey suggested Lib Dem candidate Brian Paddick would finish a distant third, on 7 per cent compared with 10 per cent four years ago. Other polls have suggested independent candidate Siobhan Benita could even push the Lib Dems into fourth.

In the first-choice vote, Mr Johnson leads Mr Livingstone by 43 per cent to 38 per cent, similar to 2008. Once second preferences are allocated, the poll suggested he would emerge with a six-point lead, on 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

However, in elections to the London assembly, Labour enjoyed a ten point lead over the Conservatives.

UKIP also looked to be heading for its first seats in the assembly, with the poll predicting it could secure two. YouGov president Peter Kellner said: ‘The difference between the Mayor and assembly results is striking: a large swing to Labour since 2008 in voting for the assembly, but no swing in the vote for Mayor.

Family: Ken Livingstone (right) walked wife Emma Beal (second left), son Thomas (centre) and daughter Mia (left) as well as some of his campaign team to cast his vote in the local elections

Putting aside their differences: Ken and Boris pose together for a photo earlier this week, but there will be no love lost between them as the election results come in

‘The main reason is the “Boris Labour” vote. We looked at people who told us they were certain to vote, and would vote Labour if the contest were a General Election. One in ten told us they will vote for Boris.

‘Londoners like politicians with character and a streak of independence. That used to help Ken, but now it’s Boris who has caught the mood of the capital. Labour supporters used to find Ken entertaining. Now he simply irritates many of them.’

Peter Mandelson will today call for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

The crisis-hit eurozone will survive only if it operates more as ‘a single political entity’ with its own president and national MPs sitting within the EU, the architect of New Labour will say at a speech in Oxford.

But the staunchly pro-Europe Lord Mandelson will admit that further EU integration cannot be foisted on to the British public without an in/out referendum.

Big push: Boris Johnson tried to secure every last vote while campaigning in Wimbledon, during the final week of the Mayoral Campaign

Another planet: Labour candidate for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone launched his poster campaign showing Boris Johnson as an alien as he trails the Tory incumbent in the polls

News | Mail Online

Boris Johnson triumphs in London amid calls for a return to traditional Tory values

• SCROLL DOWN FOR THE RESULTS IN YOUR AREA
• COUNCIL RESULTS: Labour +32, Tories -12 and Lib Dems -1
• NUMBER OF SEATS: Labour +823, Tories -405, Lib Dems -336
  
• LONDON MAYORAL: Boris Johnson wins second term by 3% margin
• Cameron: ‘I think it was a very strong campaign by Boris’
  
• Odds of Boris becoming next Conservative Party leader slashed to 4-1
• Describes his politics as ‘avowedly conservative, with a big C or a small c’
  
• Councillors turn on ‘catastrophe Clegg’ as his party loses 50% of seats
  
• Jubilant Miliband egged during a victory walkabout in Southampton
  

By James Chapman and Daniel Miller

PUBLISHED: 15:41 EST, 4 May 2012 | UPDATED: 06:28 EST, 5 May 2012

Boris Johnson is being tipped to become the next Tory leader following his triumph in the London Mayoral race and a humiliating drubbing at the polls for David Cameron.

The Prime Minister has been left struggling to contain civil war in the Coalition with members of his own party demanding a return to traditional Tory values after a loss of 12 councils and 405 seats.

Last night the PM was warned to rein in ‘wind turbine Toryism’ as senior Conservative MPs prepared to publish an alternative programme for Government, demanding more radical tax and spending policies.

Scroll down for results and videos

Confident: A typically ruffled Boris gives a thumbs up as he gets into a taxi with wife Marina after they visited the Rose Club in Marylebone last night

Mr Johnson won in London by a far more narrow margin than had been expected, beating Labour rival Ken Livingstone by just three percent on second preference votes after failing to gain more than 50 per cent in the first round.

Nevertheless his victory remained one of the only positives for the Tories and he is now expected to tell Mr Cameron that the party must adopt his style of ‘compassionate cosmopolitan Conservatism’ if they are to stand a chance of victory at the 2015 general election.

The rivalry between the two former Eton pupils has been the source of much speculation since their days at Oxford and while Mr Johnson announced his intention to serve another full five-year term as London mayor, many within the party want to see him return to the Commons. 

One activist wrote on the party website: ‘Despite the kicking they have received I don’t hear a single Tory drawing the obvious conclusion that they need to change their policies or their leader or both.

‘Unless Boris becomes our next Prime Minister it will be Miliband.’

Speaking on BBC’s Today programme this morning, Mr Johnson said he wouldn’t stand as an MP at the next general election in three years and described his brand of politics as ‘absolutely avowedly conservative, with a big C or a small c’

Thank heavens: A relieved Mr Johnson stares up to the sky as the results are read out

Support: The Mayor’s wife Marina Johnson and family members turned out during the final count at City Hall

He added: ‘I think what people saw in this election was two very clear choices and one of them basically involved taking London backwards to the 1970s and the doctrines of Bolivarian revolutionary socialism, the sort-of champagne socialist, Cuban cigar-rolling approach to life and that wasn’t what I was offering.

‘I was offering, in tough times, a cost-effective sensible approach, working with the Government, working with the private sector, to take the city forward.’

Following his victory Bookmakers William Hill have slashed the odds of Johnson becoming the next Tory leader to 4-1.

In a brief speech at city hall today Mr Johnson promised he and his team would ‘work our socks off’ to deliver on their election promises and prepare London for the Olympics.

He said: ‘We now have 87 days left to get the greatest city on the world ready for the Olympic and Paralympic games..

‘Can we get it ready? I think we can.’

Mr Johnson is expected to tell the Prime Minister that the party must adopt his style of ‘compassionate cosmopolitan Conservatism’ if they are to stand a chance of victory at the 2015 general election

Close call: Mr Johnson won by a far more narrow margin than expected, beating Labour rival Ken Livingstone by just three percent on second preference votes after failing to gain more than 50 per cent in the first round

Mr Cameron today said he was ‘delighted’ Johnson’s victory and vowed the pair would work together for the good of London.

Speaking at City Hall, Mr Cameron said: ‘I think it was a very strong campaign by Boris. It was based on his record, on the excellent things he has done out there and I am delighted to congratulate him.

‘It was a campaign the whole Conservative party got behind.

‘I enjoyed campaigning for Boris but now what matters is working together for the good of London, as PM, as Mayor, and that is exactly what we are going to do.’

Seeking to draw a line under the Government’s most turbulent period, Mr Cameron admitted the polls took place against a ‘difficult national backdrop’ but insisted ministers were doing the ‘right thing for our country’.

Battered: David Cameron walking with two of his advisers after a difficult day at the polls

Count: The electoral count staff tally the votes for the local elections at Olympia conference centre in London

However he faces an immediate challenge from senior figures on the Right of his party who want him to stand up to the  Liberal Democrats.

They plan to unveil an alternative Queen’s Speech within days, setting out 20 Bills they argue would kickstart the faltering economy and boost Conservative support.

Senior MPs do not believe issues such as gay marriage and Lords reform have had much impact on Tory support.

They argue mid-term unpopularity is inevitable for a government embarked on a far more radical programme of spending cuts than anything Margaret Thatcher attempted. But they say Chancellor George Osborne has failed to embark on austerity quickly enough and needs to take urgent steps on tax and regulation to boost growth.

Former shadow home secretary Mr Davis said: ‘If we were halfway through the cuts programme, I think the position we are in would be fine. The real issue is whether we have done enough and the pain justifies the gain.

‘In 1981, the budget was ferociously unpopular but it delivered the medicine, produced economic recovery and delivered Margaret Thatcher a landslide.

‘It was inevitable, if we did the job properly, that there was going to be unpopularity half way through. If we had had 50 per cent of the cuts already, we would be quite happy to be where we are, but we’ve only had ten per cent. There is plenty more misery to come.

‘The question is whether the economic strategy will work. There is quite a lot of doubt about whether we are going to get enough growth to do the job. We won’t balance the books without growth, we won’t get employment down without growth and we won’t make people feel better without growth.’

Mr Redwood said: ‘The coalition needs to change its approach to the economy, with policies that give priority to faster economic growth.’

Tory hearts were lifted last night as Boris Johnson defied political gravity with a knife-edge defeat of Labour’s Ken Livingstone in the London mayoral election, the biggest ballot-box test before the next General Election.

Watch out, Ed! A protester cracks an egg the Labour leader’s shoulder during a victory walkabout in Southampton this afternoon

Butt of all the yolks: Mr Miliband looks at his shoulder in disgust as his aides scramble to catch the culprit who ran away down the street

Top cat: Respect Party leader George Galloway celebrates in Bradford after winning five seats from Labour – including the leader of the council

Though the Lib Dems would be likely to walk out of the Coalition if he did so, some MPs suggest he could announce a poll to coincide with the next General Election, even if it meant running a minority Conservative government for the last few months of the Parliament.

They suggest such a dramatic move would energise Conservative support on election day.

Tory MPs drew some comfort from the fact that Labour’s performance, while solid at around 38 per cent of the vote to the Tories’ 31 per cent, did not indicate a party cruising towards General Election victory.

Tory MP Douglas Carswell told the Huffington Post website: ‘These results show why we need to deliver the EU referendum we promised when in opposition.

UKIP cost us a number of seats in council elections.

‘If repeated in a General Election, this will mean us losing dozens of seats and make an overall majority less likely. More wind-turbine Toryism is not the answer.’

Stewart Jackson MP called for an end to ‘barmy’ policies. ‘David Cameron is on notice that he does need to raise his game,’ he said.

‘He needs to focus on bread-and-butter issues like jobs and mortgages and public services and, above all, to develop a clear route map to growth, and stop fixating on the agenda of a liberal clique around him and barmy policies such as Lords reform and gay marriage, which people either don’t like or don’t care about.

‘There is a growing frustration from many Conservative backbenchers that their views are not being listened to.’

Eleanor Laing, a former shadow minister, called for Mr Cameron to overrule the Lib Dems on more issues.

‘Let us remember that the Liberal Democrats make up one sixth of the Coalition, not one half of the Coalition,’ she said.

‘David can listen rather more to Conservative MPs, who represent the real people of this country, and give rather less regard to the Liberal Democrat intellectual urban elite, with their student politics idea of reforming the constitution and taking forward green policies.’

Centrist Tory MP Gary Streeter said party supporters were ‘gagging’ for some more traditional Right-wing policies in areas such as law and order.

But senior figures including Foreign Secretary William Hague insisted that abandoning the centre ground and shifting to the Right would be futile.

By Tony Travers Professor of Government, London School of Economics

The 2012 local elections  were bad for the Conservatives, but by no means as bad as  some of the mid-term blues that have hit governments in the past.

Although Labour has made respectable progress, it cannot see gains of a little over 800 councillors as evidence it will certainly win a 2015 general election.

Labour’s vote share was about 38 per cent, way above some of its poll ratings a few months ago, but not as impressive as the 42 per cent it achieved during the Tory governments of the late 1980s and 1990s. Back then, the Tories sank as low as 27 per cent.

If Ed Miliband is to be sure of national success, he needs to see Labour poll over 40 per cent in local elections for several years running.

Of the smaller parties, Ukip made good progress in terms of vote share in seats where they stood, though they did not win any new councillors.

The party’s surge is evidence of dissident Conservatives making a protest. In the past, Ukip has been able to make occasional and exciting interventions into British voting, but has subsequently faded away. It has generally done well when the Tories are unpopular – something the Lib Dems once did. Ukip, the Greens and other minor parties can expect to prosper more as an opportunity for protest voting in future.

Meet and greet: A very pleased Mr Miliband, surrounded by party placards and Union flags, shakes hands with Labour voters as he celebrates in Birmingham today

So just how bad were these results for the Conservatives? Their national vote share was  31 per cent, well down on last year. However,  their loss of seats was far smaller than those suffered by Mrs Thatcher or Tony Blair in their worst years.

For example, more than once during the  1980s, Mrs Thatcher lost 1,000 seats in a year,  and in 1999 and 2003, Mr Blair suffered similar losses. Yet both went on to win the next  general elections.

For the Lib Dems, who have lost their ‘protest vote’ status, this result is another body blow added to the one they suffered last year. They have lost more than 300 councillors and have slumped to a total of under 3,000 across Britain. This is their lowest number since the mid-1980s and is sure to spark growing disquiet within the party’s rank and file.

Next year, there will be shire county elections, with the prospect of a further, possibly worse, battering. Fewer councillors means fewer activists and thus, the inevitability of fewer MPs.

Local elections should be about clean streets, bins, council tax and a decent environment. Inevitably, though, they are used as a real-time opinion poll about David, Ed and Nick. In reality some  perfectly good Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors will have lost their seats because of the Coalition’s recent shambolic activities.

However, London’s City Hall race, between Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone, showed what an extraordinary vote-winner Boris is. With his  party well behind Labour in the national vote, Johnson radically out-performed the Tories across the capital.

These elections have worsened the political weather for David Cameron, with the risk they will empower his enemies within his party. He will now also need to keep an eye out for Boris, whose popularity will not be lost on the Tory faithful.

Saddened: It was a bad day for Clegg and the Liberal Democrats

Nick Clegg was last night warned by one of his own peers that the Liberal Democrats could cease to be a viable force at the next general election.

The Deputy Prime Minister said he was ‘saddened’ after the Lib Dems lost more than 300 councillors, or 40 per cent of the seats they contested.

The party’s slump means it now has fewer than 3,000 councillors for the first time since the 1980s.

Lord Oakeshott, a key ally of Vince Cable, warned the party could not afford to fight the next general election if it received a similar ‘hammering’.

He said: ‘We have got to face it – we have had another very substantial swathe of our crucial activist base wiped away.

‘For me, what matters is whether we can fight the next election as a nationwide, powerful, independent force, and if we have another year like this, we won’t be able to. Unless there is a change, both coalition partners and our country are heading for the rocks.’

John Curtice, professor in politics at Strathclyde University, said the Lib Dems’ base was at ‘serious risk of disappearing entirely’.

He said: ‘Nick Clegg’s claims that voters are starting to listen to the party have been shown to have not any credibility to them at all.’

Competition: Brian Paddick was struggling to come even fourth in the mayoral election, way behind front runners Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone

However Lib Dem support held up well in areas where there they had sitting MPs and a strong activist base. Mr Clegg insisted his party would ‘continue to play our role’ in Government dealing with the economic crisis.

Speaking outside his £2million London home, he said: ‘I am really sad that so many colleagues and friends, Liberal Democrat councillors, who have worked so hard, so tirelessly for so many years for communities and families in their local areas have lost their seats.’

He added: ‘I am determined that we will continue to play our role in rescuing, repairing and reforming the British economy.’

However the party was facing a near wipe-out on the Greater London Assembly, where its mayoral candidate Brian Paddick was struggling to even come fourth.

Former Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik even said Mr Clegg should quit as party leader – but stay on as Deputy Prime Minister.

‘The writing is on the wall here. There is nothing constitutionally to make Clegg have to be leader and Deputy Prime Minister; he needs to split the roles,’ he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Mr Opik called for Mr Clegg to be replaced with a figure from the left of the party to win back disgruntled activists.

Tim Farron, the party president, also suggested the defeats had been down to the Coalition.

He said: ‘I am sorry, genuinely sorry. Those guys lost their seats last night not through their fault but through our fault, because of where we are nationally, being in government.’

In Sunderland, councillor Paul Dixon, who lost his seat to the Labour candidate, blamed Mr Clegg for his defeat.

Mr Dixon said: ‘I put it down to the Nick Clegg and his cronies in Government.

‘It’s definitely all down to the national issues and it’s a shame people have not voted on the local issues.

‘Nick Clegg should take a real hard look at what they are doing as it has been really bad tonight. He needs to listen, he’s got to do something.

‘Come the next general election we will also start to lose our MPs if he doesn’t do something now.’

 The Lib Dem leadership was also told to quit getting ‘bogged down’ in Lords reform and an overhaul of the Commons by one of its own MPs.

John Pugh said the Coalition should focus on jobs and think ‘very hard’ before diving into constitutional reform.

Mr Pugh, the Lib Dem MP for Southport, said: ‘Nick is not directly responsible for them losing their seats, but certainly the way the Coalition presents itself is a problem for local Liberal Democrats as they are trying to do the best for their community.’

Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem chief secretary to the Treasury, said that all the main parties were committed to reforming the House of Lords.

News | Mail Online

London mayoral elections 2012: Boris Johnson clinches narrow mayoral victory by a blond whisker and credits his rival with helping him win

• Boris won 1,054,811 first and second preference votes
• Ken finished 62,000 votes behind with 992,273
• Winning margin 51.5% to 48.5%
• Green party candidate Jenny Jones finishes 3rd ahead of Lib Dem Brian Paddick
  
• Result delayed by faulty counting machines
  
• Boris loses two allies; deputy Mayor Richard Barnes and fire chief Brian Coleman

By Martin Robinson and Rick Dewsbury

PUBLISHED: 05:40 EST, 3 May 2012 | UPDATED: 19:44 EST, 4 May 2012

Boris Johnson will serve another four years as London mayor after winning a dramatic election battle with Labour rival Ken Livingstone.

The result was finally announced a few minutes before midnight after delays caused by faulty counting machines in Brent and Harrow.

Mr Johnson thanked Londoners for their votes, his wife for her support and paid a cheeky tribute to Ken Livingstone who staged a late fightback to narrow the margin of victory to just 62,000 votes – after first and second preferences had been counted.

The win will take the sting out of the loss of hundreds of Conservative council seats for David Cameron after an otherwise disastrous 24 hours for the Tories.

Victorious: Boris Johnson makes his victory speech as loser Ken Livingstone looks on

As Boris Johnson was returned as London Major tonight, a watery eyed Ken Livingstone announced he would not stand again

Addressing the crowd at City Hall, Mr Johnson vowed to continue ‘fighting for a good deal for Londoners’ as he thanked voters for giving him a ‘new chance’.

He said: ‘In just 84 days time london will welcome the world and the world will find a City Hall administration that is getting on with its work, together with government, and directing scarce resources to what matters for Londoners.

‘Cutting council tax, getting more police out on the street, investing in the great transport, housing and regeneration projects that will create 200,00 jobs over the next four years.

‘And with our apprentice schemes and the other means to our disposal I will dedicate myself to making sure that Londoners and above all young Londoners are ready to take the jobs that this amazing city creates.

‘And I will continue to fight for a good deal for Londoners. A good deal from the Govermnent that will help us deliver prosperity for everyone in the city.’

The final result – a margin of 51.5% to 48.5% – defied polls that placed him 6 points ahead of his rival.

No candidate won enough votes in the first round to secure victory, meaning second preferences had to be counted.

But despite a late surge, Mr Livingstone never looked likely to topple Mr Johnson, the clear bookie’s favourite.

The 66-year-old former mayor looked close to tears during his own speech. He revealed it would be his ‘last election’ and said he was ‘sincerely sorry’ he had failed to win for Londoners.

He said: ‘This is my last election. Forty one years ago, almost to the day, I won my first election
promising to build good council housing and introduce a free bus pass for pensioners.

‘Now I have lived long enough to get one myself. I did not think I necessary would at the time.
Since then I have won 11 more elections and lost three.

‘But the one that I most regret losing is this

‘This is the defeat I most regret, because these are the worst time for 80 years and Londoners needed a mayor to help them get through this very difficult period.’

Nerves: The leading three await the final results

Last minute nerves: Ken Livingstone and his team arrive at City Hall to await the election result

Confident: Boris Johnson leaves his house this morning and told reporters that he was ‘optimistic’ he would beat rival Ken Livingstone

London Mayor

Green party candidate Jenny Jones heaped more misery on the Liberal Democrats by pipping Brian Paddick into fourth place.

Independent Siobhan Benita finished fifth ahead of UKIP and the BNP.

Victory will be bittersweet for Boris, who’ll need to appoint a new deputy.

His loyal number two, Richard Barnes lost his seat in Ealing and Hillingdon to Labour’s Dr Onkar Singh Sahota.

Dr Sahota’s narrow victory was predicted, but it is still a major blow for Mr Johnson.

Another fallen ally is Brian Coleman, chair of the London fire authority, who has lost his Barnet and Camden seat to Labour’s Andrew Dismore.

Labour secured eight of the London Assembly’s 14 first-past-the-post constituencies, gaining two from the Tories, which left them with six.

Defeat spells the end of Ken’s 30-year political career and he even admitted yesterday that he will concentrate on his gardening if his bid fails.

‘My immediate future is not affected by winning or losing. My sister-in-law has just moved into a new house and I promised I’d go and sort out her garden on the bank holiday,’ Ken said.

‘I’m just hoping it doesn’t rain. It’s completely overgrown and I love sorting out old gardens.

‘Beyond that, I’ll have to wait until Tuesday. Either I’ll be back in City Hall signing off on the fares reduction, or I’ll be thinking of something else to do.’

He said: ‘I feel a great sense of relief. I started campaigning 23 months ago with the Labour primary with Oona [King] and since October I’ve been out campaigning to rebuild the Labour Party in parts of London where it had fallen into disrepair.

‘What we’ll see tonight is clearly that Labour will be the largest party in London. Beyond that it’s all speculation.’

Nationally the Tories and their Liberal Democrat coalition partners have been haemorrhaging support to Labour, the London mayor appeared confident of seeing off Ken Livingstone’s challenge in the capital, with a final poll suggesting he had extended his lead to six points.

Significantly, it also suggested the Tory had scooped up the support of one in every ten Labour voters. YouGov predicted Mr Johnson would deliver a 53-47 per cent win. 

Kiss for luck: Ken Livingstone says goodbye to his wife Emma as he takes takes Coco the family dog out with him on results day today

Slurs: Ken says that the 2012 campaign to be Mayor has been the most negative he has taken part in and claims he has been smeared

Mr Livingstone said his campaign had been dogged by negative smears and may have derailed votes for city mayors elsewhere in England.

‘The nature of the campaign this time was awful. I came into politics to discuss issues but this campaign has been dominated by smears and trivialities,’ he said.

‘I wonder to what extent all those voters in cities who have voted against having their own elected mayors have been put off by the unsatisfactory nature of this campaign.’

Favourite: Boris Johnson wound down from campaigning last night by taking wife Marina for drinks at London’s fashionable Rose Club

Thumbs up: Boris could end Ken’s political career when the results are revealed after 6pm tonight

Big task: Workers across London will spend the coming hours counting millions of votes, with results due this evening

Close: Boris has taken an early lead in the contest but it appears that it will be fairly close between him and his rival Ken Livingstone

Final countdown: Boris Johnson is pictured with his wife Marina after casting his vote this afternoon following weeks of campaigning

On the move: The London Mayor and his wife enter a tube station in central London this afternoon as the final few hours of frantic campaigning came to an end

On the up: The mayor, seen here climbing an escalator on the London Underground, is set for victory after securing a second term in office

I’m voting for daddy: Boris and Marina at the polling station with his daughter Lara Johnson, who voted for the first time after turning 18

Team Boris: The Mayor out on the campaign trail with his brother Leo, left, sister Rachel, brother Joe, wife Marina, and father Stanley

Showdown: London Mayor Boris Johnson, left, arrives to vote in Islington with his wife Marina Wheeler while Ken Livingstone, right, and his wife Emma leave their local polling station in north London

Boris arrives by train at Richmond Station on the last day of his Campaign trail this morning

The home straight: Boris and wife Marina battle to pick up votes as they campaign in Sidcup today

In a blow for the Tories, the UK Independence Party showed that it was gaining traction in the limited number of places where it put up candidates.

In early returns, UKIP had secured 14 per cent of the votes in wards where it had fielded candidates – enough for third place in some areas, and around 5 per cent up on last year.

Tory co-chairman Baroness Warsi admitted: ‘It’s going to be a bad night for the Conservatives. There are going to be losses across the country. We are beginning from a very high base.’

But she also sparked controversy by equating UKIP with the far-Right BNP.

Lady Warsi pointed out that while the number of BNP candidates had fallen by 14 per cent, the number of UKIP candidates had risen by the same amount.

In response, UKIP spokesman Gawain Taylor called her a ‘bitch’ on Twitter. He later deleted the comment.

The Tories and Lib Dems will seek to pass off the loss of hundreds of councillors in local elections as traditional ‘mid-term blues’.

After their joint appearance, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg will use the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday to unveil new law-and-order measures, including laws on drug driving and the creation of a National Crime Agency.

Hoping for a result: Labour leader Ed Miliband and his wife Justine leave their local polling station in north London after voting in the mayoral and council elections today

Family: Ken Livingstone (right) walks wife Emma Beal (second left), son Thomas (centre) and daughter Mia (left) as well as some of his campaign team as he arrives to cast his vote in the local elections

Independent candidate Siobhan Benita outside St James Church Hall in New Malden this morning to cast her vote for the nations local elections

Planning is also under way for a Cabinet reshuffle, though it is not expected to take place in the immediate future.

Tories tipped for promotion include Housing Minister Grant Shapps, Disability Minister Maria Miller and Employment Minister Chris Grayling. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, who had been tipped for the chop following controversy over NHS reforms, is now thought to be safe.

Overall, Mr Clegg is braced to see the number of Lib Dem councillors slump below 3,000 for the first time since 1986.

A performance like that will intensify speculation that the party could be all but wiped out at the next General Election and that Mr Clegg could face a leadership challenge before 2015.

‘We always expected elections to be difficult last year and this year,’ one source insisted.

The Conservatives expect to lose around 450 council seats, but hope their vote share will be significantly better than recent polls suggest, at around 35 per cent.

Support: Green Party volunteer Caroline Russell and Labour Party volunteer David Braine wait for voters outside St Thomas’ Church Hall in Highbury in London today

Keen: An early voter crossing the green towards a polling station in Dalton Piercy, near Hartlepool, as polls opened in the town this morning

In London, the YouGov survey suggested Lib Dem candidate Brian Paddick would finish a distant third, on 7 per cent compared with 10 per cent four years ago. Other polls have suggested independent candidate Siobhan Benita could even push the Lib Dems into fourth.

In the first-choice vote, Mr Johnson leads Mr Livingstone by 43 per cent to 38 per cent, similar to 2008. Once second preferences are allocated, the poll suggested he would emerge with a six-point lead, on 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

However, in elections to the London assembly, Labour enjoyed a ten point lead over the Conservatives.

UKIP also looked to be heading for its first seats in the assembly, with the poll predicting it could secure two. YouGov president Peter Kellner said: ‘The difference between the Mayor and assembly results is striking: a large swing to Labour since 2008 in voting for the assembly, but no swing in the vote for Mayor.

Putting aside their differences: Ken and Boris pose together for a photo earlier this week, but there will be no love lost between them as the election results come in

‘The main reason is the “Boris Labour” vote. We looked at people who told us they were certain to vote, and would vote Labour if the contest were a General Election. One in ten told us they will vote for Boris.

‘Londoners like politicians with character and a streak of independence. That used to help Ken, but now it’s Boris who has caught the mood of the capital. Labour supporters used to find Ken entertaining. Now he simply irritates many of them.’

n PETER Mandelson will today call for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

The crisis-hit eurozone will survive only if it operates more as ‘a single political entity’ with its own president and national MPs sitting within the EU, the architect of New Labour will say at a speech in Oxford.

But the staunchly pro-Europe Lord Mandelson will admit that further EU integration cannot be foisted on to the British public without an in/out referendum.

Big push: Boris Johnson is trying to secure every last vote while campaigning in Wimbledon, as he goes into the final week of the Mayoral Campaign

Another planet: Labour candidate for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone launched his poster campaign showing Boris Johnson as an alien as he trails the Tory incumbent in the polls

News | Mail Online

London mayoral elections 2012: Boris is back in City Hall: Conservative clinches narrow mayoral victory over Ken Livingstone after dramatic Labour fightback

• Boris won 1,054,811 first and second preference votes
• Ken finished 62,000 votes behind with 992,273
• Winning margin 51.5% to 48.5%
• Green party candidate Jenny Jones finishes 3rd ahead of Lib Dem Brian Paddick
  
• Result delayed by faulty counting machines
  
• Boris loses two allies; deputy Mayor Richard Barnes and fire chief Brian Coleman

By Martin Robinson and Rick Dewsbury

PUBLISHED: 05:40 EST, 3 May 2012 | UPDATED: 18:51 EST, 4 May 2012

Boris Johnson will serve another four years as London mayor after winning a dramatic election battle with Labour rival Ken Livingstone.

The result was finally announced a few minutes before midnight after delays caused by faulty counting machines in Brent and Harrow.

Mr Johnson thanked Londoners for their votes, his wife for her support and paid a cheeky tribute to Ken Livingstone who staged a late fightback to narrow the margin of victory to just 62,000 votes – after first and second preferences had been counted.

The win will take the sting out of the loss of hundreds of Conservative council seats for David Cameron after an otherwise disastrous 24 hours for the Tories.

Victorious: Boris Johnson makes his victory speech as loser Ken Livingstone looks on

Delays: The announcement was made shortly before midnight, after faulty counting machines held up the count process

Addressing the crowd at City Hall, Mr Johnson vowed to continue ‘fighting for a good deal for Londoners’ as he thanked voters for giving him a ‘new chance’.

He said: ‘In just 84 days time london will welcome the world and the world will find a City Hall administration that is getting on with its work, together with government, and directing scarce resources to what matters for Londoners.

‘Cutting council tax, getting more police out on the street, investing in the great transport, housing and regeneration projects that will create 200,00 jobs over the next four years.

‘And with our apprentice schemes and the other means to our disposal I will dedicate myself to making sure that Londoners and above all young Londoners are ready to take the jobs that this amazing city creates.

‘And I will continue to fight for a good deal for Londoners. A good deal from the Govermnent that will help us deliver prosperity for everyone in the city.’

The final result – a margin of 51.5% to 48.5% – defied polls that placed him 6 points ahead of his rival.

But despite a late surge, Mr Livingstone never looked likely to topple Mr Johnson, the clear bookie’s favourite.

The 66-year-old former mayor looked close to tears during his own speech. He revealed it would be his ‘last election’ and said he was ‘sincerely sorry’ he had failed to win for Londoners.

He said: ‘This is my last election. Forty one years ago, almost to the day, I won my first election
promising to build good council housing and introduce a free bus pass for pensioners.

‘Now I have lived long enough to get one myself. I did not think I necessary would at the time.
Since then I have won 11 more elections and lost three.

‘But the one that I most regret losing is this

‘This is the defeat I most regret, because these are the worst time for 80 years and Londoners needed a mayor to help them get through this very difficult period.’

Last minute nerves: Ken Livingstone and his team arrive at City Hall to await the election result

Confident: Boris Johnson leaves his house this morning and told reporters that he was ‘optimistic’ he would beat rival Ken Livingstone

Victory will be bittersweet for Boris, who’ll need to appoint a new deputy.

His loyal number two, Richard Barnes lost his seat in Ealing and Hillingdon to Labour’s Dr Onkar Singh Sahota.

Dr Sahota’s narrow victory was predicted, but it is still a major blow for Mr Johnson.

Another fallen ally is Brian Coleman, chair of the London fire authority, who has lost his Barnet and Camden seat to Labour’s Andrew Dismore.

Defeat is likely to spell the end of Ken’s 30-year political career and he even admitted today that he will concentrate on his gardening if his bid fails.

‘My immediate future is not affected by winning or losing. My sister-in-law has just moved into a new house and I promised I’d go and sort out her garden on the bank holiday,’ Ken said.

‘I’m just hoping it doesn’t rain. It’s completely overgrown and I love sorting out old gardens.

‘Beyond that, I’ll have to wait until Tuesday. Either I’ll be back in City Hall signing off on the fares reduction, or I’ll be thinking of something else to do.’

Mr Livingstone said he has not decided what he will do if he is not returned to City Hall.

He said: ‘I feel a great sense of relief. I started campaigning 23 months ago with the Labour primary with Oona [King] and since October I’ve been out campaigning to rebuild the Labour Party in parts of London where it had fallen into disrepair.

‘What we’ll see tonight is clearly that Labour will be the largest party in London. Beyond that it’s all speculation.’

Nationally the Tories and their Liberal Democrat coalition partners have been haemorrhaging support to Labour, the London mayor appeared confident of seeing off Ken Livingstone’s challenge in the capital, with a final poll suggesting he had extended his lead to six points.

Significantly, it also suggested the Tory had scooped up the support of one in every ten Labour voters. YouGov predicted Mr Johnson would deliver a 53-47 per cent win. 

As he rode his bike from his London home this morning, Mr Johnson – who was the bookie’s favourite – told the Evening Standard: ‘I’m feeling good. I’m optimistic. I wouldn’t say confident, as it’s a bit early, but optimistic.

‘I’m not sure what I’ll be doing tonight but I hope I’ll be celebrating.’

Kiss for luck: Ken Livingstone says goodbye to his wife Emma as he takes takes Coco the family dog out with him on results day today

Slurs: Ken says that the 2012 campaign to be Mayor has been the most negative he has taken part in and claims he has been smeared

Meanwhile Mr Livingstone said his campaign had been dogged by negative smears and may have derailed votes for city mayors elsewhere in England.

‘The nature of the campaign this time was awful. I came into politics to discuss issues but this campaign has been dominated by smears and trivialities,’ he said.

‘I wonder to what extent all those voters in cities who have voted against having their own elected mayors have been put off by the unsatisfactory nature of this campaign.’

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls acknowledged that Mr Johnson might win ‘despite his association with David Cameron and George Osborne, rather than because of it’.

But with the party doing well in the London Assembly contests, he told BBC Radio 4′s The World At One: ‘It certainly suggests that Labour, when it’s Labour, it’s doing very well compared to the Conservatives across London and we’ve seen that in by-elections as well.

Favourite: Boris Johnson wound down from campaigning last night by taking wife Marina for drinks at London’s fashionable Rose Club

Thumbs up: Boris could end Ken’s political career when the results are revealed after 6pm tonight

‘But there was a personality contest in which Boris Johnson said “Vote for me even though I’m a Tory” and it looks like he may… we’ll wait and see, but if he wins I think it will be despite his association with David Cameron and George Osborne, rather than because of it.

‘I backed Ken Livingstone, I think he was the best mayor London’s had so far. I think he would be a better mayor for London on Tube fares and jobs and housing than Boris Johnson who, let’s be honest, is a bit of a joker, a bit of a buffoon.’

He added that the mayor’s powers, particularly over taxes, were limited and ‘the truth is you can vote for Boris because he cracks good jokes without that actually making much difference to your wallet or your purse’.

Results day: Staff at Olympia in London prepare to count the votes from yesterday’s council, London Assembly and Mayoral elections

Big task: Workers across London will spend the coming hours counting millions of votes, with results due this evening

Close: Boris has taken an early lead in the contest but it appears that it will be fairly close between him and his rival Ken Livingstone

Final countdown: Boris Johnson is pictured with his wife Marina after casting his vote this afternoon following weeks of campaigning

On the move: The London Mayor and his wife enter a tube station in central London this afternoon as the final few hours of frantic campaigning came to an end

On the up: The mayor, seen here climbing an escalator on the London Underground, is set for victory after securing a second term in office

I’m voting for daddy: Boris and Marina at the polling station with his daughter Lara Johnson, who voted for the first time after turning 18

Team Boris: The Mayor out on the campaign trail with his brother Leo, left, sister Rachel, brother Joe, wife Marina, and father Stanley

Showdown: London Mayor Boris Johnson, left, arrives to vote in Islington with his wife Marina Wheeler while Ken Livingstone, right, and his wife Emma leave their local polling station in north London

Boris arrives by train at Richmond Station on the last day of his Campaign trail this morning

The home straight: Boris and wife Marina battle to pick up votes as they campaign in Sidcup today

In a blow for the Tories, the UK Independence Party showed that it was gaining traction in the limited number of places where it put up candidates.

In early returns, UKIP had secured 14 per cent of the votes in wards where it had fielded candidates – enough for third place in some areas, and around 5 per cent up on last year.

Tory co-chairman Baroness Warsi admitted: ‘It’s going to be a bad night for the Conservatives. There are going to be losses across the country. We are beginning from a very high base.’

But she also sparked controversy by equating UKIP with the far-Right BNP.

Lady Warsi pointed out that while the number of BNP candidates had fallen by 14 per cent, the number of UKIP candidates had risen by the same amount.

In response, UKIP spokesman Gawain Taylor called her a ‘bitch’ on Twitter. He later deleted the comment.

Labour was set to win Birmingham and Newport, while the Tories were on course to lose control of Dudley in the West Midlands.

The earliest results, from Basildon and Sunderland, showed large swings to Labour and substantial declines in Conservative and Lib Dem support.

There were reports of tiny numbers of voters taking part in elections in many parts of the country, suggesting widespread apathy.

In Kingston-upon-Hull, turnout was reported to be just 18.7 per cent. Lincoln’s turnout was its lowest ever, at 26 per cent.

Mr Cameron and his Liberal Democrat deputy Mr Clegg are planning a Coalition ‘renewal of vows’ with a joint appearance on Tuesday as the Government enters its third year. They will focus on economic policy as the glue that is holding the two parties together.

The Tories and Lib Dems will seek to pass off the loss of hundreds of councillors in local elections as traditional ‘mid-term blues’.

After their joint appearance, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg will use the Queen’s Speech on Wednesday to unveil new law-and-order measures, including laws on drug driving and the creation of a National Crime Agency.

Hoping for a result: Labour leader Ed Miliband and his wife Justine leave their local polling station in north London after voting in the mayoral and council elections today

Family: Ken Livingstone (right) walks wife Emma Beal (second left), son Thomas (centre) and daughter Mia (left) as well as some of his campaign team as he arrives to cast his vote in the local elections

Independent candidate Siobhan Benita outside St James Church Hall in New Malden this morning to cast her vote for the nations local elections

Planning is also under way for a Cabinet reshuffle, though it is not expected to take place in the immediate future.

Tories tipped for promotion include Housing Minister Grant Shapps, Disability Minister Maria Miller and Employment Minister Chris Grayling. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, who had been tipped for the chop following controversy over NHS reforms, is now thought to be safe.

Overall, Mr Clegg is braced to see the number of Lib Dem councillors slump below 3,000 for the first time since 1986.

A performance like that will intensify speculation that the party could be all but wiped out at the next General Election and that Mr Clegg could face a leadership challenge before 2015.

‘We always expected elections to be difficult last year and this year,’ one source insisted.

The Conservatives expect to lose around 450 council seats, but hope their vote share will be significantly better than recent polls suggest, at around 35 per cent.

Support: Green Party volunteer Caroline Russell and Labour Party volunteer David Braine wait for voters outside St Thomas’ Church Hall in Highbury in London today

Keen: An early voter crossing the green towards a polling station in Dalton Piercy, near Hartlepool, as polls opened in the town this morning

In London, the YouGov survey suggested Lib Dem candidate Brian Paddick would finish a distant third, on 7 per cent compared with 10 per cent four years ago. Other polls have suggested independent candidate Siobhan Benita could even push the Lib Dems into fourth.

In the first-choice vote, Mr Johnson leads Mr Livingstone by 43 per cent to 38 per cent, similar to 2008. Once second preferences are allocated, the poll suggested he would emerge with a six-point lead, on 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

However, in elections to the London assembly, Labour enjoyed a ten point lead over the Conservatives.

UKIP also looked to be heading for its first seats in the assembly, with the poll predicting it could secure two. YouGov president Peter Kellner said: ‘The difference between the Mayor and assembly results is striking: a large swing to Labour since 2008 in voting for the assembly, but no swing in the vote for Mayor.

Putting aside their differences: Ken and Boris pose together for a photo earlier this week, but there will be no love lost between them as the election results come in

‘The main reason is the “Boris Labour” vote. We looked at people who told us they were certain to vote, and would vote Labour if the contest were a General Election. One in ten told us they will vote for Boris.

‘Londoners like politicians with character and a streak of independence. That used to help Ken, but now it’s Boris who has caught the mood of the capital. Labour supporters used to find Ken entertaining. Now he simply irritates many of them.’

n PETER Mandelson will today call for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

The crisis-hit eurozone will survive only if it operates more as ‘a single political entity’ with its own president and national MPs sitting within the EU, the architect of New Labour will say at a speech in Oxford.

But the staunchly pro-Europe Lord Mandelson will admit that further EU integration cannot be foisted on to the British public without an in/out referendum.

Big push: Boris Johnson is trying to secure every last vote while campaigning in Wimbledon, as he goes into the final week of the Mayoral Campaign

Another planet: Labour candidate for London Mayor, Ken Livingstone launched his poster campaign showing Boris Johnson as an alien as he trails the Tory incumbent in the polls

News | Mail Online

The biggest ship in London! HMS Ocean heads up the Thames in show of strength before the Olympics (as Defence Secretary warns: ‘We would shoot down a jet if necessary’)

• HMS Ocean sails up the Thames as preparations for Olympic security continues
  
• Phil Hammond reveals he has been trained on terror decisions such as shooting down a hijacked jet

By Leon Watson

PUBLISHED: 13:09 EST, 3 May 2012 | UPDATED: 12:06 EST, 4 May 2012

The Army has done it, as has the airforce. Today it was the turn of the Royal Navy to show off the weapons it hopes it never has to use at the London Olympics.

HMS Ocean – the largest in the Navy – slipped up the Thames, past the tidal barriers, and up towards Greenwich to check out the berth, where it will monitor and protect London during the Olympics this summer.

The hardest part of the journey was slipping past the Thames barrier, which at only 60m gave some clearance on each side – but not much in terms of margin of error.

Scroll down for video

Welcome to London: The UK’s largest warship nudges its way through the Thames Barrier on the way to docking at Greenwich

The Carrier HMS Ocean makes her way up the River Thames as part of security rehearsals ahead of the London Olympics

Test run: The exercise is aimed at testing military capabilities to ensure operational readiness before the start of the Olympic Games

The show of strength came as Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said today he was prepared to to give the order to shoot down a hijacked airliner if the Olympics were threatened by a 9/11-style attack.

Hammond told the Evening Standard: ‘The decision to engage would be made at the highest levels of government.’

Asked if he was personally willing to give the order to destroy a rogue aircraft, he said: ‘Of course … I’m certainly prepared to make decisions.’

Mr Hammond added that Londoners  and visitors ‘should be reassured by the military presence – there is no risk from the equipment. It’s defensive in nature and pointing skywards.’

The amphibious assault ship is being positioned in Greenwich to provide extra security for the London Olympics

A SHIP THAT’S ONE OF A KIND

HMS Ocean was commissioned in September 1998 at her home port Devonport, Plymouth, after being built by Kvaerner Govan Ltd on the Clyde and fitted out by VSEL at Barrow-in-Furness.

She is the sole member of her class in the Royal Navy, designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force.

The ship carries a crew of 255, an aircrew of 206 and 480 Royal Marine Commandos. An additional 320 marines could be accommodated in a short-term emergency.

HMS Ocean is capable of transporting and sustaining an embarked military force of up to 800 people equipped with artillery, vehicles and stores.

She has capacity for 40 vehicles but is not designed to land heavy tanks. There are four LCVP Mk5 vehicle/personnel landing craft on davits.

The ship has full facilities for 12 EH101 Merlin and six Lynx helicopters, plus landing and refuelling facilities for Chinook helicopters. Twenty Sea Harriers could be carried but not supported. The flight deck is 170m long and 32.6m wide, with two aircraft lifts.

Its weapon systems include four Oerlikon/BAE twin 30mm guns together with three Raytheon/General Dynamics Phalanx Mk15 close-in weapon systems.

Questioned how he would deal with a hijacked airliner full of passengers, he said: ‘We rehearse these things, we train for them.

‘All the ministers involved are fully versed in the processes they have to go through, the judgments they have to make.

‘I’m not going to spell out precisely who is in the loop and who is not, but there are a number of ministers who are involved in the air defence arrangements. The decision to engage would be made at the highest levels of government.’

Mr Hammond, who was taken on board HMS Oceans by a landing craft, said of the security arrangements: ‘I don’t think it’s over the top. Every Olympic Games in recent times has had a significant military component to its security plan.’

Arrangements for security has been ongoing for the last few days, with HMS Ocean now making its debut appearance.

The ship will remain in Greenwich throughout the summer games.

The warship, which has the motto ‘Boldly Faithfully Happily’, will have quite an army on board – 300 military personnel will base themselves on the ship, while eight Lynx helicopters with sniper teams onboard will be ready to lift off at a moment’s notice.

It is part of huge military protection for the city, with Typhoon jets stationed at RAF Northolt, and ground-to-air Rapier missiles dotted on rooftops at six sites across the city.

Defence Secretary Phillip Hammond said: ‘Whilst there is no specific threat to the Games, we have to be ready to assist in delivering a safe and secure Olympics for all to enjoy.’

Rapier surface-to-air missiles have also been showcased at Blackheath Army Cadet Centre, in south east London, as part of the massive 2012 security test on land, sea and in the air.

Weymouth and Portland in Dorset will play host to the sailing where the Albion-class amphibious assault warship HMS Bulwark will play a key role in protecting the events.

Colonel Jon Campbell, commander of the Joint Ground Based Air Defence, said: ‘We have done as much as we can to allay people’s fears.

‘The Rapier system has a world-class radar on it and is particularly good at picking up low and slow-moving objects in the sky. It means we’re able to get the very best picture of what is happening in the skies of London.’

Air Vice Marshall Stuart Atha added: ‘We want the focus to be on Usain Bolt this summer and not us. We’re very proud to be part of this plan to deliver a safe and secure Olympics.’

The Lexington Building in Tower Hamlets and the Fred Wigg Tower in Waltham Forest, both in east London, have been identified as potential sites for the High Velocity Missiles.

Members of the public watch as the HMS Ocean passes Greenwich Naval College

Rapier missiles would be positioned on Blackheath Common and in Oxleas Wood, both in south east London, and at William Girling Reservoir Chain in Enfield and Barn Hill at Netherhouse Farm in Epping Forest, both in north London, should the Air Security Plan be approved by the Government.

Col Campbell said the sites had been chosen to avoid having weapons inside the Olympic Park.

He said: ‘We’re trying to de-militarise this and let the sport do the talking. The Lexington Building is the best available location away from the Olympic Park.’

Heading to England: The HMS Ocean earlier today, out at sea, making its way to the Thames

Ready and waiting: The Typhoon jets line up on the tarmac at RAF Northolt, west London, ahead of a nine-day military exercise to test security for the Olympic Games

What the…? A man walks past a Rapier short range air defence system at Blackheath, London, ahead of the exercises

We got your back: Surface-to-air missiles at the army cadet base in Blackheath, southeast London

The Rapier surface-to-air missile has the power to take down a Boeing 747 full of passengers if needed to protect a stadium full of 80,000 Olympic spectators in a terrorism nightmare scenario.

The British military has insisted that the missiles – with a range of up to five miles – could be deployed as the last line of defence. Experts say the likelihood that they will be fired is slim to none.

Downing an aircraft would still cause debris to rain from the sky, high casualties and fires.

When you launch a Rapier missile and shoot down an aircraft, it’s not like the whole thing vanishes. It’s 100 tons of metal, scraps, and other stuff that is coming down,’ said Jan Wind, a retired Dutch Navy captain who is director of the Hague-based Wiser Consultancy.

‘If a Rapier is used, the damage could be just about the same as the intentions of the terrorist – only on another spot. The goal of the terrorists will be met in a certain sense,’ Wind said.

It’s rare for the British military to publicise the location of its weapons, but the military says it hopes that any potential attacks will be deterred by showing the missile strength and other defense assets such as Typhoon fighter jets.

Ground-to-air missiles have been a fixture of Olympic games and large VIP events in the post-9/11 world, but London’s missiles have sparked outrage among residents of an apartment block who learned that the Rapiers might be stationed on their roof.

They say the missiles are creating a climate of fear – which security experts say is exactly the point. That’s because the systems are more valuable as deterrents than as deployed weapons, Mr Wind said.

‘The British army and air force don’t do all this to really shoot down a terrorist aircraft, they do it to display their determination to do so, which will hopefully prevent the terrorists from attacking,’ Mr Wind said.

‘If you know that there are 500 policeman outside the jewellery store, you will not go there and try to rob the store.’

The Ministry of Defence it has not decided where it will ultimately station the missile batteries.

News | Mail Online