Ken gains lead in London Mayor race
19th January 2012
CWU has welcomed a poll in the
London Evening Standard newspaper today
(Thursday) which shows Labour's London Mayor candidate Ken
Livingstone inching ahead of Tory incumbent Boris Johnson, with
just over three months to go until the May 3 election.
The paper's political editor Joe Murphy reports that the survey, which was conducted by leading pollsters YouGov, gives Mr Livingstone 46 per cent of first preference votes, compared to Mr Johnson's 44, with LibDem hopeful Brian Paddick trailing badly on 7 per cent.
Second preferences split
evenly, leaving a projected final result of 51-49 in favour of
Livingstone (pictured left with CWU London regional secretary Jim
Kirwan), a prediction that YouGov director Peter Kellner describes
as "a huge change" since last June's poll put Johnson
54-46 ahead and that May's poll is now "too close to
call."
Pundits suggest that the "Ken catch-up" is down to his campaign strategy of concentrating on the key issues affecting ordinary Londoners, such as his pledges to cut Tube and bus fares.
Commenting on the poll, CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said: "It's early days yet, but the poll shows that all the tomfoolery in world can't disguise the fact that Boris has been a disaster for London.
"Ken's pledge to cut fares and help Londoners in these hard times matter more than silly japes," he added.
Find out more at: www.kenlivingstone.com/
