London mayoral election, 2012
Encyclopedia
The 2012 London mayoral election will be held on Thursday 3 May 2012 to elect the Mayor of London
. It will be the fourth such election since the post of Mayor of London was started in 2000
. The three main parties are all standing the same candidates as stood in the previous contest in 2008
: that is, the incumbent, Boris Johnson
for the Conservative Party
; Ken Livingstone
, the Mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, for Labour Party
; and Brian Paddick
for the Liberal Democrats
.
All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth
and European Union
citizens) living in London
who will be be aged 18 or over on Thursday 3 May 2012 are entitled to vote in the mayoral election. The deadline to register to vote in the election is midnight on Wednesday 18 April 2012, though anyone who qualifies as an anonymous elector has until midnight on Thursday 26 April 2012 to register.
, which generally demonstrated poor results for Labour as well.
composed half-and-half of the votes of Labour members in London, and the votes of affiliated organisations. The ballot papers were issued around early September 2010, and the winner announced on 24 September. Four people initially sought the nomination: Livingstone, Oona King
, Seton During and Emmanuel Okoro.
Several potential candidates such as Sir Alan Sugar, Sadiq Khan
, James Purnell
, Tony McNulty
and David Lammy
were speculated. Ken Livingstone
had announced his intention to regain the mayoralty in March 2009, and said at the time that he would run as an independent again if he failed to gain Labour's nomination. Oona King
announced her bid in late May 2010.
Prior to the vote, Livingstone gained the support of the GMB and Unite
unions, as well as the backing of the majority of Labour members in the London Assembly
. The Economist
wrote that he is "by some distance the favourite to win the candidacy".
On 24 September 2010, the Labour party announced that Livingstone had defeated King for the nomination. Livingstone polled 68.8% of the total votes.
started accepting applications for their nominee. Lembit Öpik
, Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire
from 1997 until his defeated re-election bid in 2010, said in June 2010 that he would like to be their candidate. Liberal Democrat councillor Duwayne Brooks
, a friend of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence
who was with him when he died, also put himself forward.
Caroline Pidgeon
, Floella Benjamin
, Joanna Lumley
, Brian Paddick
and Susan Kramer
were also seen as possible candidates . Jeremy Ambache, a former parliamentary candidate for Putney
, also put his name down for slection for his party however he did not continue his campaign since he defected to Labour
.
On 15 October 2010, plans for selecting a candidate were deferred for twelve months. On 12 July 2011, the new shortlist of four candidates was announced. As a result of the annoucement of the shortlist a High Court complaint was lodged by Patrick Streeter who was unsuccessful in being shortlisted. Subsequently the High Court ruled the Liberal Democrats selection process fair and lawful. The result was declared after a ballot of party members on 2 September. The four candidates were Öpik, Paddick, Brian Haley and Mike Tuffrey
. Haley is a councillor in Haringey
and was a member of the Labour Party until defecting in January 2010. Paddick was the party's candidate in 2008 and previously Deputy Assistant Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police
. Tuffrey led the Liberal Democrat group on the London Assembly
between 2006 and 2010.
announced its shortlist on 2 February 2011. London members chose Assembly member Jenny Jones
who won 67% of votes cast over lecturer Shahrar Ali and writer Farid Bakht. Jenny Jones served as Deputy Mayor 2003-2004 during the first term of Ken Livingstone, when he was an Independent Mayor. Jenny Jones launched her mayoral campaign on the 16th October 2011 with the release of a mini manifesto. here
(BNP) announced London member Carlos Cortiglia as its candidate, who is a press officer for the party. Cortiglia was born in Uruguay
of Spanish and Italian ancestry and came to the United Kingdom in 1989. He has previously taken part in a televised abortion
debate on RT
(Russia Today) in his capacity as press officer and was a list candidate for the party in the assembly elections in 2004. He has worked for the BBC World Service
and has been involved in several areas of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
, including television, radio and Internet via London Radio Service, British Satellite News, APTN and other media. In a 2003 interview, Cortiglia is quoted:
That is, Cortiglia said that, feeling an emotional connection to Argentina, in 1982, he had volunteered to go to the Falkland Islands
, which has been interpreted as showing support for Argentina in the Falklands War
. In 2011, Cortiglia labelled the erroneous suggestion that he had fought for Argentina as "far left fabrication" and explained the quote in La Nación
so:
ARPO
, ICM, Ipsos MORI, Populus
, TNS-BMRB
(formerly TNS System Three) and YouGov
are members of the British Polling Council
, and abide by its disclosure rules.
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
. It will be the fourth such election since the post of Mayor of London was started in 2000
London mayoral election, 2000
The first election to the office of Mayor of London took place on 4 May 2000.-Results:¹Under the Supplementary Vote system, if no candidate receives 50% of 1st choice votes, 2nd choice votes are added to the result for the top two 1st choice candidates...
. The three main parties are all standing the same candidates as stood in the previous contest in 2008
London mayoral election, 2008
The London mayoral election, 2008 for the office of Mayor of London was held on 1 May 2008 and was won by Conservative Party candidate Boris Johnson....
: that is, the incumbent, Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British journalist and Conservative Party politician, who has been the elected Mayor of London since 2008...
for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
; Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
, the Mayor of London from 2000 to 2008, for Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
; and Brian Paddick
Brian Paddick
Brian Leonard Paddick is a British politician, and was the Liberal Democrat candidate for the London mayoral election, 2008, coming third behind Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone...
for the Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
.
All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth
Commonwealth citizen
A Commonwealth citizen, which replaces the former category of British subject, is generally a person who is a national of any country within the Commonwealth of Nations....
and European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
citizens) living in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
who will be be aged 18 or over on Thursday 3 May 2012 are entitled to vote in the mayoral election. The deadline to register to vote in the election is midnight on Wednesday 18 April 2012, though anyone who qualifies as an anonymous elector has until midnight on Thursday 26 April 2012 to register.
Background
At the 2008 mayoral election, Boris Johnson defeated incumbent mayor Ken Livingstone. Livingstone's defeat was attributed to a loss of support amongst swing voters and voters in London's outer suburbs. The contest was also one of several elections that took place in England and WalesUnited Kingdom local elections, 2008
The 2008 United Kingdom local elections were held on 1 May 2008. These elections took place in 137 English Local Authorities and all Welsh Councils....
, which generally demonstrated poor results for Labour as well.
Conservative Party
Media reports alleged tension between Johnson and the national Conservative leadership as well as the Conservative-controlled central government. This may have led Johnson to seek a parliamentary seat to challenge these two entities rather than seek a second term as mayor. However, on 10 September 2010, he announced his intention to stand for a second term. At a re-selection meeting on 14 October 2010, he faced a period of questioning, before being unanimously adopted as the Conservatives' candidate.Labour Party
The Labour nominee was elected by an electoral collegeElectoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
composed half-and-half of the votes of Labour members in London, and the votes of affiliated organisations. The ballot papers were issued around early September 2010, and the winner announced on 24 September. Four people initially sought the nomination: Livingstone, Oona King
Oona King
Oona Tamsyn King, Baroness King of Bow is a Baroness and Member of the House of Lords, and former Chief Diversity Officer of Channel 4. She previously had served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow from 1997 until 2005, when she was defeated by Respect candidate George...
, Seton During and Emmanuel Okoro.
Several potential candidates such as Sir Alan Sugar, Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Khan
Sadiq Aman Khan is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Tooting since 2005, succeeding Tom Cox as the Labour MP for the seat...
, James Purnell
James Purnell
James Mark Dakin Purnell is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde from 2001 to 2010. He is currently the Head of the Open Left project at the left leaning think tank Demos...
, Tony McNulty
Tony McNulty
Anthony "Tony" James McNulty is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Harrow East from 1997 to 2010 and was a government minister from 2002 to 2009. He was Minister for London and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for...
and David Lammy
David Lammy
David Lindon Lammy is a British Labour Party politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Tottenham since 2000.Lammy has commented on Britain's history of slavery.-Early life and Education:...
were speculated. Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
had announced his intention to regain the mayoralty in March 2009, and said at the time that he would run as an independent again if he failed to gain Labour's nomination. Oona King
Oona King
Oona Tamsyn King, Baroness King of Bow is a Baroness and Member of the House of Lords, and former Chief Diversity Officer of Channel 4. She previously had served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow from 1997 until 2005, when she was defeated by Respect candidate George...
announced her bid in late May 2010.
Prior to the vote, Livingstone gained the support of the GMB and Unite
Unite the Union
Unite – the Union, known as Unite, is a British and Irish trade union, formed on 1 May 2007, by the merger of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union...
unions, as well as the backing of the majority of Labour members in the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
. The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
wrote that he is "by some distance the favourite to win the candidacy".
On 24 September 2010, the Labour party announced that Livingstone had defeated King for the nomination. Livingstone polled 68.8% of the total votes.
Liberal Democrats
Around the beginning of September 2010, the Liberal DemocratsLiberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
started accepting applications for their nominee. Lembit Öpik
Lembit Öpik
Lembit Öpik is a British Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Montgomeryshire in Wales from 1997 until he lost his seat in the 2010 General Election...
, Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Montgomeryshire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created in 1542, it elects one Member of Parliament , traditionally known as the knight of the shire, by the first-past-the-post system of election.The Montgomeryshire Welsh Assembly...
from 1997 until his defeated re-election bid in 2010, said in June 2010 that he would like to be their candidate. Liberal Democrat councillor Duwayne Brooks
Duwayne Brooks
Duwayne Brooks is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom and is a Councillor in the London Borough of Lewisham...
, a friend of murdered black teenager Stephen Lawrence
Stephen Lawrence
Stephen Lawrence was a black British teenager from Eltham, southeast London, who was stabbed to death while waiting for a bus on the evening of 22 April 1993....
who was with him when he died, also put himself forward.
Caroline Pidgeon
Caroline Pidgeon
Caroline Pidgeon is a Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom and the leader of the Liberal Democrats in the London Assembly.-Political career:...
, Floella Benjamin
Floella Benjamin
Floella Karen Yunies Benjamin, Baroness Benjamin OBE DL is a British actress, author, television presenter, businesswoman and politician...
, Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lumley
Joanna Lamond Lumley, OBE, FRGS is a British actress, voice-over artist, former-model and author, best known for her roles in British television series Absolutely Fabulous portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in The New Avengers, Sapphire & Steel, and Sensitive...
, Brian Paddick
Brian Paddick
Brian Leonard Paddick is a British politician, and was the Liberal Democrat candidate for the London mayoral election, 2008, coming third behind Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone...
and Susan Kramer
Susan Kramer
Susan Veronica Kramer, Baroness Kramer is a British Liberal Democrat politician. She was Member of Parliament for Richmond Park from 2005 to 2010, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the London mayoral election in 2000....
were also seen as possible candidates . Jeremy Ambache, a former parliamentary candidate for Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, also put his name down for slection for his party however he did not continue his campaign since he defected to Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
On 15 October 2010, plans for selecting a candidate were deferred for twelve months. On 12 July 2011, the new shortlist of four candidates was announced. As a result of the annoucement of the shortlist a High Court complaint was lodged by Patrick Streeter who was unsuccessful in being shortlisted. Subsequently the High Court ruled the Liberal Democrats selection process fair and lawful. The result was declared after a ballot of party members on 2 September. The four candidates were Öpik, Paddick, Brian Haley and Mike Tuffrey
Mike Tuffrey
Michael William Tuffrey is a Liberal Democrat politician and member of the London Assembly. He took his seat on 18 February 2002 replacing Louise Bloom who had resigned. He was re-elected in 2004 and 2008 leading the Liberal Democrat group and chairing various London Assembly committees...
. Haley is a councillor in Haringey
London Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
and was a member of the Labour Party until defecting in January 2010. Paddick was the party's candidate in 2008 and previously Deputy Assistant Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
. Tuffrey led the Liberal Democrat group on the London Assembly
London Assembly
The London Assembly is an elected body, part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power, with a two-thirds majority, to amend the mayor's annual budget. The assembly was established in 2000 and is headquartered at City Hall on the south...
between 2006 and 2010.
Green Party
The Green PartyGreen Party of England and Wales
The Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
announced its shortlist on 2 February 2011. London members chose Assembly member Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones (Green politician)
Jenny Jones is an English politician and prominent member of the Green Party of England and Wales. She currently represents the Green Party in the London Assembly, and is standing to be Mayor of London in the 2012 elections. She was Deputy Mayor of London from May 2003 to June 2004...
who won 67% of votes cast over lecturer Shahrar Ali and writer Farid Bakht. Jenny Jones served as Deputy Mayor 2003-2004 during the first term of Ken Livingstone, when he was an Independent Mayor. Jenny Jones launched her mayoral campaign on the 16th October 2011 with the release of a mini manifesto. here
British National Party
On 7 September 2011 the British National PartyBritish National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP) announced London member Carlos Cortiglia as its candidate, who is a press officer for the party. Cortiglia was born in Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
of Spanish and Italian ancestry and came to the United Kingdom in 1989. He has previously taken part in a televised abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
debate on RT
RT (TV network)
RT, previously known as Russia Today, is a global multilingual television news network based in the Russian Federation run by the state-owned state-run RIA Novosti....
(Russia Today) in his capacity as press officer and was a list candidate for the party in the assembly elections in 2004. He has worked for the BBC World Service
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
and has been involved in several areas of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
, including television, radio and Internet via London Radio Service, British Satellite News, APTN and other media. In a 2003 interview, Cortiglia is quoted:
Soy argentino oriental, o dicho de otro modo, uruguayo de nacimiento, y me siento muy ligado emocionalmente a la República Argentina. En 1982 me ofrecí como voluntario para ir a las Islas Malvinas. Todo nació de mi gran interés por la historia y por haber crecido nutrido por los ideales de lo que podría haber sido y finalmente no fue. Esto me llevó finalmente a involucrarme en la carrera periodística que, en definitiva, fue lo que me trajo al Reino Unido.
That is, Cortiglia said that, feeling an emotional connection to Argentina, in 1982, he had volunteered to go to the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, which has been interpreted as showing support for Argentina in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. In 2011, Cortiglia labelled the erroneous suggestion that he had fought for Argentina as "far left fabrication" and explained the quote in La Nación
La Nación
La Nación is an Argentine daily newspaper. The country's leading conservative paper, the centrist Clarín is its main competitor. It is the only newspaper in Argentina still published in broadsheet format.-Overview:...
so:
As a State employee and as a Uruguayan (not as a British citizen), I made a public pronouncement expressing the position of the Uruguayan government. If Argentina had suspected, at any point in time, that Uruguay would be siding with Britain or helping Britain, Uruguayan neutrality would have been compromised.
UK Independence Party
On 2 June 2011, an email was sent to all UKIP members from the Executive Chairman setting out a timetable for selection and requesting applications from possible candidates. The candidate will be officially selected at the end of September. The party held an online poll, the results of which influenced the final vote. The six candidates were David Coburn, Michael Corby, Michael McGough, Paul Oakley, Winston McKenzie and Lawrence Webb. On the 5th September, Lawrence Webb was selected by London members as the official UKIP candidate.Independent Candidates
Teacher and Community Support Officer Femi Solola is running as an independent.Opinion polls
In the run up to the election, several polling organisations will carry out public opinion polling in regards to voting intentions. Results of such polls are displayed below.ARPO
Angus Reid Public Opinion
Angus Reid Public Opinion is an international public affairs practice. It was established in 2006 under the name Angus Reid Strategies by Dr Angus Reid, a Canadian sociologist who founded his first research company in 1979. Reid sold the Angus Reid Group to Paris-based Ipsos SA in 2000...
, ICM, Ipsos MORI, Populus
Populus Ltd
Populus is a market research company in the United Kingdom formed in 2003. Populus co-founded the British Polling Council in 2004 and regularly publishes opinion polls on voting intention and as well as other political and commercial issues. Clients have included national brands such as the AA and...
, TNS-BMRB
Taylor Nelson Sofres
Taylor Nelson Sofres is a leading market research and market information group. Formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, the firm was acquired by WPP Group in October 2008 for 1.6 billion pounds.-History:...
(formerly TNS System Three) and YouGov
YouGov
YouGov, formerly known as PollingPoint in the United States, is an international internet-based market research firm launched in the UK in May 2000 by Stephan Shakespeare, now Chief Executive Officer, and Nadhim Zahawi...
are members of the British Polling Council
British Polling Council
The British Polling Council is an association of market research companies whose opinion polls are regularly published or broadcast in media in the United Kingdom...
, and abide by its disclosure rules.
| Regional Vote (SV) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firm/Client | Survey end date | Con Conservative Party (UK) The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House... |
Lab Labour Party (UK) The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after... |
LD Liberal Democrats The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the... |
Others | |||||
| 2008 Election results | 42.4% | 36.3% | 9.6% | 11.4% | ||||||
| ComRes/Evening Standard | 21 March 2011 | 36% | 37% | 5% | 6% | |||||
| YouGov | 24 November 2011 | 48% | 41% | 2% | 9% | |||||
| Comres/Evening Standard | 27 November 2011 | 48% | 40% | 7% | 4% | |||||
External links
- "Battle lines are drawn in London as City backs King", The Times, London, 6 September, 2010.