Boris’s star turn

By rights, Labour ought to walk next year’s mayoral election. But all is not going to plan. The latest polls put Boris ahead; one conducted at the end of last month even had him 7 points clear.

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Arthur Roffey

Douglas Murray has been blacklisted in Berlin

Labour’s problem is Ken Livingstone. As Jonathan found recently, a full fifth of Labour voters in London say they would prefer Boris to be mayor rather than Ken, an extraordinary statistic. Livingstone is also seen as dishonest in comparison to Boris. His opportunism often contributes to that perception — for instance, his attempt to tar Boris with the filthy Murdoch brush earlier this week was the most transparent piece of hypocrisy. Andrew Gilligan has more news on that front; news that illustrates why Boris also leads Ken in the charisma stakes. Here’s a snippet:

‘Andrew Boff (Tory AM): I think it’s very important to ensure that the mayoralty cannot be compromised by undue influence.