Ken Livingstone: I’d bet £10,000 on me beating Boris Johnson for Mayor

Want a bet? Ken Livingstone is confident he can beat Boris Johnson for Mayor
12 April 2012

Ken Livingstone believes he has at least a 70 per cent chance of defeating Boris Johnson in London's next mayoral election.

The former Mayor also made clear he is confident of beating former MP Oona King to the Labour nomination and going on to reclaim City Hall in 2012.

Asked to rate his chances of victory over Tory Mr Johnson out of 10, he said: "I would have thought seven or eight. If I was a betting man I would put 10 grand on it."

But Ms King denied it was a one-horse race for the Labour nomination. Her team has phoned more than 1,000 voters and believes she has 35 per cent support compared with 23 per cent for Mr Livingstone, with 42 per cent undecided. Ms King said Mr Livingstone was "taking Labour members and London for granted".

She added: "Unlike Ken I've spent most of the past few weeks outlining new ideas for London, while [he] seems to be displaying the same old arrogance that cost him the election last time."

Mr Livingstone, interviewed by BBC Radio 4's Jim Naughtie last night, also revealed for the first time that he wished he had been Labour leader. He said: "I thought there was a possibility in the early Eighties when I had taken control of the GLC and the existing Labour party had no idea where they were going."

He believes a series of factors will work in his favour in winning back the mayoralty: the likely unpopularity of the coalition government in two years; the fact that Mr Johnson will have to defend his record, and a groundswell of public support for his campaign.

Mr Livingstone said 900 young Labour volunteers had signed up to help and he was getting positive feedback from the public. "The mood on the streets is so positive," he said. "Every day 10 or 15 people will come up to me and say I hope you're standing'."

Mr Johnson was "bloody lazy", he said: "The mere fact he has time for such an interesting social life. I wasn't allowed that."

Ballot papers to elect Labour's mayoral candidate go out on September 1, with the winner due to be announced on September 24 after a vote of London Labour Party members and affiliated trades union members.

Mr Livingstone announced plans today for a giant music festival in London if he becomes Mayor, and pledged to protect music venues.

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