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Willie Nelson | |
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 Veteran country music singer Willie Nelson is always up to something new. Read our Willie Watch column to keep up.
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Backing Boris |
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Boris nabs it
• Boris Johnson now official Tory candidate for London mayor
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By
Miss Gingham
Sunday,
7 October, 2007
Boris Johnson has been chosen as the Tory candidate for the 2008 London mayoral contest, but his campaign has run into immediate controversy.
Mr Johnson, an MP and television personality, said that he was looking forward to the challenge and that the days of "King Newt" - a reference to Ken Livingstone, the current mayor and celebrated newt-fancier - were numbered.
As news of his selection was released by the Conservative Party this morning, however, he faced criticism from leaders of the black community for his previous references to black people as “piccaninnies” and Africans having “water melon smiles”.
Responding to his selection, Mr Johnson said: "Across London I’ve met people fed up with paying so much to city hall and getting so little in return.
"The job of the Mayor is simple - to get people to work on time, to ensure people feel safe on the streets, to help people find a place to call home, to celebrate our diversity and to champion our success.
“My determination to lead this city is stronger than ever. After seeing both the good and bad that London has to offer, I am committed to making London greater and standing up for every Londoner that invests so heavily in our city."
In a statement issued this morning David Cameron, the Tory leader, said: “Boris will be an excellent candidate and I know the party will unite behind him to remove Ken Livingstone from office. It’s about time that all Londoners had the chance to vote for real change.”
The US-style open primary allowed London voters who were not members of the Conservative Party to take part, by registering using a premium-rate phone line.
Caroline Spelman, the Conservative party chairman, said that the move was “a first for British politics”. She said: “Running a London-wide open primary is a first in British politics. By opening up the process and running open hustings we have given all Londoners the chance to vote on the Conservative appointment and influence the outcome."
Mr Johnson got 15,661 votes, way ahead of his nearest rival Victoria Borwick who got 1,869 votes.
Less than an hour after his selection he was facing his first hurdle, as it emerged that Lord Ouseley, the former head of the Commission for Racial Equality, Michael Eboda, the editor of the New Nation newspaper, and Steve Pope, editor of The Voice, had immediately written to Mr Cameron urging him to disown Mr Johnson’s “offensive, insulting and abusive” comments.
They also objected to Mr Johnson’s description of Nelson Mandela’s South Africa as “majority tyranny of black rule”.
Boris himself recently announced a period of self imposed silence while he works out the detail of his policies as Mayor.
The Naked Reader
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