Ken Livingstone cutting TfL’s revenue to save Londoners some money is a “swindle” that will risk the very future of the transport network.

Boris Johnson cutting TfL’s revenue to save Londoners some money is a prudent triumph that will secure the very future of the transport network.

Ken’s promise to cut fares year on year is an “unfunded sham” which he won’t be able to keep.

Boris’s promise to cut council tax year on year is a prudent and totally funded promise, which he will most definitely keep.

Ken promising to build expensive and unfunded transport projects is “pretending the tooth fairy will come” by waving “magic money” about.

Boris promising the exact same expensive and unfunded transport project three years later is not pretending the tooth fairy will come and is not waving magic money about.

Or to put it more simply: Ken’s unfunded giveaways = bad, Boris’s unfunded giveaways = good.

For further guidance read How London Politics Works part 1 and part 2

By Adam Bienkov
4:20 PM

The latest Evening Standard Mayoral poll suggests that Boris Johnson has regained a small lead over Ken Livingstone.

With only two points in it, it’s margin of error stuff, but does suggest that Ken Livingstone has failed to consolidate his lead from last month.

Ken’s lead was built largely on fares and the cost of living.

Despite Boris’s best efforts, Ken has won on these and Boris’s ludicrous £3 giveaway is not going to reverse that.

But as I’ve written before, fares was always going to be Ken’s ace card and he needs to win on the other issues if he has any chance of beating Boris.

The biggest of these is crime and Ken’s campaign has not been anywhere near effective enough on this so far.

Today’s poll shows that Ken is well ahead on transport but still trailing on crime.

However Boris’s lead is assailable and his record on crime has actually been pretty poor, especially when you contrast it with how central it was to his campaign in 2008.

Under Boris, knife crime has risen, especially among the young. and despite all of the publicity his flagship youth mentoring scheme has been a total flop.

And despite pledging a crack down on crime, he failed to extend it to his own office, where one of his Deputy Mayors was convicted for fraud.

However, rather than pick any of this record apart, Ken’s campaign has focused almost entirely on the issue of police numbers.

By doing this they have allowed the debate to descend into a long and rather dull game of mathematics, which depending on how you calculate it, shows police numbers going up or down by around a thousand.

This is not going to excite many voters.

They’ve also used a number of dodgy statistics, of their own, something that isn’t necessary when many of the real statistics are bad enough.

But in order to win, Ken needs to focus far more on Londoners’ real experience of crime, most notably the terrifying riots of last year in which Boris Johnson was absent without leave.

For any other politician, Boris’s performance during the riots would have been disastrous.

However, a compliant press and a lacklustre response from Ken and Labour, meant that Boris was allowed to get off the hook.

If Ken is going to win, then he needs to place Boris right back on that hook again.

By Adam Bienkov
12:10 PM

When you’re running for London’s top job, it probably isn’t a wise idea to tell the capital’s train travellers their journeys aren’t really that important.

Monday saw Boris Johnson declare he wanted to take charge of London’s National Rail franchise. It won’t have come as a surprise to hardened rail-watchers, but the Evening Standard loyally gave him its front page splash, with vox-pops of grateful Londoners queuing up to say why they might vote for him.

Of course, Ken Livingstone announced something very similar a few weeks ago – but funnily enough, didn’t get the same coverage from the Standard. Wonder why that was?

For many who endure the likes of Southeastern, First Capital Connect and the late, unlamented National Express East Anglia each day, these are welcome signs that they might end up seeing improved services at some point during their lifetimes.

But left out of all this coverage was Lib Dem mayoral candidate Brian Paddick. What are his plans for London’s trains? This press release hit political hacks’ inboxes this afternoon…

Six months from London riots-Johnson and Livingstone can only talk about trains

Commenting on Mayor Boris Johnson’s transport announcement today, Lib Dem Mayoral Candidate and former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Brian Paddick said:

“Today it is exactly 6 months since the London riots, yet Mayor Boris Johnson decided to mark this serious event by announcing he should have control of overground trains.

“This is unacceptable. Londoners consistently rate crime and policing as the most important issues in this election – not transport.

“Until he and his Labour opponent have addressed the causes of the riots and the need for serious reform of policing they continue to demonstrate themselves unfit to hold the post of Mayor.”

Roughly translated, that means Brian’s pissed off his trip to Tottenham has gone largely unnoticed.

But mocking Boris and Ken for putting transport centre stage seems an odd strategy. It’s the one area the mayor has always had strong powers over. Ken moved ahead of Boris in the polls after last month’s fare rises.

To mock this big issue as mere “talking about trains” won’t lift Brian’s low profile in the minds of Londoners who struggle daily to use those trains. Yet the prospect of TfL taking over the capital’s dirty, dimly-lit and poorly-staffed mainline stations and giving them an Overground-style makeover should surely appeal to his crime-fighting agenda.

Until he realises what Boris and Ken have realised, Brian Paddick will struggle to win over voters stuck on platforms in Ladywell and London Fields.

By Darryl Chamberlain
7:55 PM

Gather round, everybody. We’ve found Boris Johnson’s weakest spot. But we should be having a proper talk about fares, instead of moaning about 5p on a bus ticket. How about tearing up the zones map instead?

By Darryl Chamberlain
2:16 PM

Today’s news that Ken Livingstone has edged ahead of Boris Johnson in the Mayoral race has surprised a lot of commentators, but it shouldn’t.

Ken, despite his years, has been out walking the streets, pushing issues that Londoners most care about. Namely transport, crime and the cost of living.

Boris on the other hand, has campaigned like he’s governed: complacently.

The view in Team Boris is that the Mayor will “walk it” because of his natural charisma.

No need to worry about ever rising bus fares. Just set up a photo shoot with Boris hanging off the back of an expensive new bus.

No need to worry about the riots. Just wander back a few days later with a broom and some cameras.

In fact why worry about a new manifesto at all? Just promise the same set of fantasy airports and road improvements you promised last time and hope nobody can remember.

And even when it comes to his image, Boris has become complacent.

So as Londoners struggled back to work on overcrowded trains with even more expensive season tickets, Boris allowed himself to be pictured skiing in the Italian Alps.

He was perfectly within his rights to do that of course, but these aren’t the actions of a man who realises he’s got a fight on his hands.

In 2008, Ken lost because he appeared complacent and out of touch, whilst Boris campaigned on the issues that Londoners cared about.

So whilst Ken banged on about climate change, Boris banged on about knife crime.

Four years later and the opposite is now true.

Whilst Ken talks about fares, Boris talks about the 50p tax rate. Whilst Boris talks about helping bankers, Ken talks about helping commuters.

The election is still very much Boris’s to lose, but if he carries on like this then he will lose it.

By Adam Bienkov
2:00 PM

Followers of the Evening Standard’s increasingly surreal take on London life can’t have failed to have noticed it has a slight problem with the current leader of Westminster Council.

But for simply deciding that the council could raise a few pounds to help serve its residents by charging motorists more to park in streets that are served by the capital’s best public transport network, Colin Barrow has paid a heavy political price.

After the Standard led a hysterical campaign against any threat to Mayfair drivers’ freedom to clog up our roads, Cllr Barrow ended up having to backtrack and resign.

According to the Standard, being charged to park in the West End on a Saturday night was a “nightlife tax”, while adding double yellow lines to crowded city streets was beyond the pale.

But, a reasonable observer might ask, who was making the case for charging car drivers and promoting the use of the bus and the Tube?

Ken Livingstone, who introduced the congestion charge in 2003, branded the charges a parking rip-off.

Even Green candidate Jenny Jones attacked the charges, calling them “an exercise in increasing council revenues”. Heaven forbid!

So it was down to local blog Fitzrovia News to argue the point.

“All sorts of excuses have been used by those defending the right of motorists to have free parking in central London. But the motoring lobby are the real “something for nothing” group. In real terms the cost of motoring has gone down. While public transport costs have gone up, car drivers have enjoyed a relative holiday.

“Despite the media furore about Westminster City Council’s parking changes they are at least actually doing something to address the problem of pollution and congestion. Unlike all the candidates for Mayor of London, none of whom have any real proposals to tackle the problem. And it is the Mayor’s and Transport for London’s job to sort out any inadequacies in public transport, not Westminster City Council.”

Read more. Because Fitzrovia News seems to be the only voice defending central London against increased congestion at the moment. They don’t fancy standing for mayor, do they?

By Darryl Chamberlain
12:57 PM

A curious crowd greeted Boris Johnson’s New Bus For London in Bexleyheath this morning as it made the first stop on a tour of the capital’s suburbs.

Quite why Bexleyheath had been picked to begin the Borismaster’s tour is not immediately obvious – the last Routemaster in this area ran in 1982, and bendy buses were only ever seen on the news here.

With the new bus lined up for route 38 between Victoria and Clapton, it’s unlikely the Borismaster will be bothering DA6 for a long while to come.

But this area turned out one of the strongest Conservative votes in the last mayoral election. With another one on the horizon, what better time to remind locals what they voted for?

Shoppers of all ages mingled with bus fans as they explored the bus, had their picture taken with the bus, and asked questions about the bus.

It’s a good-looking thing once you step inside. The colour scheme and design are influenced by the old Routemasters, and the seats are a damn sight more comfortable than those you’ll find on many new buses.

One well-built man even commented on how much legroom there was by the seat at the front of the top deck. “We’ve taken on board views from many quarters on designing this bus,” TfL’s rep told him.

He also pointed out that the new bus would be twice as fuel-efficient as a traditional diesel vehicle, pointing at a double-decker crawling around the bus-unfriendly one-way system.

While the locals liked the interior, the concept might be a harder sell. Asking how many would be built, one passenger wondered how much her fares would rise to pay for it.

“There’s not many seats downstairs, are there?”, said one woman. “How are they going to stop people getting on without paying?,” asked another, with a man pointing out there wasn’t much room on the platform for a conductor.

One woman looked at the retro styling and chuckled: “And they reckon this bus is new?”

But the Borismaster’s novelty value seemed to win the day. “My husband won’t believe what I’ve just seen,” a woman said as she took a picture with her phone.

How it’ll fare when called into action is another matter. It’s a long vehicle, and took a while to be gingerly driven out of the shopping precinct on its way to Bromley (Tory stronghold, last saw Routemasters in 1984).

The Borismaster got a warm welcome in Bexleyheath, but will it ever come back?

By Darryl Chamberlain
1:18 PM

Remember young Boris Johnson aide Einy Shah? We met her just before Christmas, showing off her new ‘honk for Boris’ bike on Facebook.

Well, Einy’s back to start the new year with a honk. With millions of commuters returning to work today to find their rail, Tube and bus fares hiked up, Labour activists are crowing.

They say over two thousand people turned up to stations at the crack of dawn to leaflet Londoners about the fare cuts they promise if Ken Livingstone gets back in.

It wasn’t just them, mind – non-aligned groups like the Campaign for Better Transport and Bring Back British Rail have also been out complaining about the rises.

As passengers feel the pinch, what was Einy’s response on Twitter?

“well it’s been a fucking pr disaster for us – thank god for the rain…”

Language, Einy. And next time, stick “DM” in front of it, eh?

By Darryl Chamberlain
1:32 PM

So, after a year which has seen 16 cyclists die on London’s roads, which vehicle have London’s Conservatives – the ones which walk out of meetings rather than discuss road safety – chosen to help push Boris Johnson’s re-election push?

That’s right, a bicycle. Meet the Honk for Boris bike, lovingly created for 20-year-old Tory activist and Boris buddy Einy Shah by Barnet-based Cole Coachworks.

Whether the friends and families of those who have died on London’s roads will be as keen to “honk for Boris” is another matter, but photos of the bike feature on Cole Coachworks’ Facebook page.

Naturally, Shah, who’s the deputy chairman of London Conservative Future, is delighted with her new wheels. Another visitor, though, was less impressed…

“Every campaign needs an Einy!,” boasts Boris’s brother Jo Johnson. With a bike like that, she’s no doubt got a bright future – just so long as she avoids the Bow roundabout, the Kings Cross one-way system, the north side of Blackfriars Bridge, the Elephant and Castle…

By Darryl Chamberlain
2:16 PM

Conservative London Assembly Members today prevented a debate about the recent spate of cyclist deaths on London’s roads after they staged a walkout at City Hall.

Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones had proposed a motion calling on AMs to express their condolences to the relatives of those who died and asking the Mayor to investigate whether their deaths could have been avoided through better road designs.

The motion follows a number of recent cyclist deaths including two in the space of three weeks at Bow roundabout.

The walkout meant that the Chair had to close the meeting.

This is the second time that Conservative AMs have prevented a debate on cyclist safety.

Earlier this year, they walked out before a motion could be heard on reducing the speed limit on Blackfriars Bridge to 20mph

Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Mike Tuffrey said that today’s walkout was an “insult” to London cyclists:

“Today’s childish actions by Conservative Assembly Members have thwarted a key debate on cycle safety taking place. Their actions are an insult to every cyclist in London as well as the democratic process.”

Jenny Jones said after the meeting:

“The Tory walkout before we could take the cycling motion was perhaps partly based on embarrassment at the Mayor’s poor safety record. He has consistently ignored cycling campaigners’ advice on how to make junctions safe, leaving cyclists vulnerable to the faster traffic. This is playing with people’s lives, not delivering good government for London.”

Conservative London Assembly leader James Cleverly wrote afterwards that he had walked out in protest over not being given chairmanship of any Assembly committees.

By Adam Bienkov
12:04 PM