Boris hits the campaign trail

By Will Davies

BORIS Johnson launched his campaign to be the Tory candidate for London mayor on Monday.

Taking to the stage as punk anthem London Calling raised the roof at City Hall, Mr. Johnson, 43, who has been Henley’s MP for six years, promised to tackle crime, address London’s housing crisis and encourage more cycling.

“London is the greatest city on earth. I love this city and I want it to be greater still,” he said.

Citing house prices as ‘the biggest single worry for Londoners’, Mr. Johnson, who is favourite to become the official Conservative candidate, said there was ‘huge scope’ to help young people onto the property ladder, by taking a more imaginative approach to shared-ownership schemes.

If elected, the former shadow minister for higher education said he would modify but not scrap the capital’s congestion charge, and bring back the classic Routemaster bus to London’s streets — in a 21st century form.

“It is time we got this city moving and have the transport system we deserve,” he added.

The former editor of the right-of-centre Spectator magazine criticised potential opponent Ken Livingstone’s recent deal with leftist Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, whereby Transport for London will receive $32 million in discounted oil, intended to fund half price bus fares for low income Londoners. “You won’t see me doing deals with left-wing dictators,” he said.

Speaking exclusively to the Standard on Wednesday, Mr. Johnson said so far his campaign is going ‘very well’.

“I’ve just been looking at some neighbourhood policing in Blexley and there seems to be a strong desire to get Ken Livingstone out,” he said.

“I’m very encouraged by the first few days and although it is very hard to know exactly what it going on, there is definitely a good feeling out there.”

Mr. Johnson spent the day touring London boroughs, which included taking to the wheel of a Routemaster 70, which he said was ‘an absolute doddle to drive and lots of fun.’

Singing his praises, chairman of South Oxfordshire Conservatives, John Walsh, who has worked closely with Mr. Johnson, believes the Henley MP has what it takes to be mayor of London.

He said: “In contrast to Ken, who hasn’t made a good job of being mayor, Boris will take a fairly chunky budget and use it to improve core issues, like transport in the capital, which at present is a nightmare. Although he has only been an MP for six years, Boris has the ability to put concepts across using colourful language, which gets them noticed.

“Coupled with an ability to examine problems with fresh eyes, he decides on a solution and delivers — without being afraid of the populist view.”

The Tory candidate will be announced at the party’s conference at the end of the month. The mayoral election itself will be held on Thursday, May 1st, next year.