Boris wins nomination in a landslide
Boris Johnson has won the Conservative party nomination for Mayor of London with 79% of the vote, it has been announced.
The Henley MP, seen as the front runner since he announced his candidacy in July, will now face incumbent Ken Livingstone in the May 2008 election.
The three other Tory hopefuls did not manage to get more than 10% of the vote each.
IT consultant and publisher Andrew Boff, who is openly gay, polled 8.4%.
Victoria Borwick got 9.4% and Warwick Lightfoot got 3.1%.
Despite the vote being opened up to all of London’s registered voters, less than 20,000 people voted.
43-year-old Mr Johnson received 15,661 of those votes.
Tory leader David Cameron, a close friend of Mr Johnson, 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.”
Mr Johnson, the MP for Henley, thanked Londoners for electing him to take on Ken Livingstone.
“As I visited all of London’s 32 boroughs in the last few weeks, the message is loud and clear – King Newt’s days are numbered,” he said, a reference to the current Mayor’s interest in amphibians.
“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.
“I want to be a Mayor for all Londoners, from Zone 6 to Zone 1. A Mayor that will listen, will learn and will lead.”
