Boris Johnson stretches lead over Ken Livingstone ‘as favourite to rescue the economy’

 
Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone
Pippa Crerar26 April 2012

Boris Johnson is the favourite to help London out of recession, a new poll showed today, as he again pulled ahead of Ken Livingstone.

As the race for City Hall entered its final seven days, Mr Johnson stretched his lead to eight points — 54 to 46 in a run-off. Earlier this week the contest had narrowed and he was neck and neck with his Labour rival. But a ComRes survey today put Mr Johnson ahead on almost all measures.

Four in 10 Londoners believed the Mayor would be the best candidate to boost London’s economy. He was ahead of Mr Livingstone on this among all social groups — including the poorest voters.

It will come as a boost to Mr Johnson during bleak economic times. The poll was carried out before yesterday’s GDP figures were announced plunging the country into its first double dip recession since 1975.

Mr Johnson argues that his record shows he is better placed to get money out of the Government to create jobs. Half of Londoners said he would do the best job of protecting the interests of the City of London, compared with 20 per cent who opted for his rival. Mr Johnson has been accused of cosying up to the City, although he has been critical of bankers.

He was also considered the best candidate to make London a better place to run a business. Two in five (43 per cent) Londoners backed him, compared with 20 per cent for Mr Livingstone. One in four said they didn’t know.

The Tory candidate had a slight lead over Mr Livingstone (32 per cent to 28 per cent) on making the capital a better place to work.

The poll of 1,024 Londoners found 45 per cent of voters would give Mr Johnson their first preference vote, compared with Mr Livingstone on 36 per cent. Green candidate Jenny Jones was in third place for the first time on six per cent, while Lib-Dem Brian Paddick fell back to five per cent, suggesting he has been squeezed by the two main candidates. He is overwhelmingly the most popular candidate for second preference votes.

It comes as Labour campaign chief Tom Watson urged Labour supporters to “hold their nose” and vote for Mr Livingstone, even if they did not like him. They had slowly begun trickling back to their candidate.

The poll showed that Mr Livingstone had slipped in his inner London stronghold, by six points since the last ComRes survey earlier this month. However, just 13 per cent of Londoners thought the Mayor should focus on standing up for the interests of the financial sector.

The most important issue for 63 per cent of voters was keeping down the costs of public transport. Mr Livingstone has pledged to cut fares by seven per cent by October — or quit — yet his promise did not appear to have convinced all voters.

Almost half of Londoners said the Mayor should focus on affordable housing while 38 per cent said he should restore confidence in the Met. More than one in four voters (45 per cent) said London’s economic competitiveness was in danger if airport capacity was not increased. A quarter said it was not.

Half said the South East of England needed extra airport capacity. More voters supported either a third runway at Heathrow or a new airport in the Thames estuary than did not.

A spokesman for Mr Livingstone said: “Under Tory Mayor Boris Johnson unemployment in the capital has rocketed and his inflation-busting fare increases have made Londoners worse off. Ken will cut the fares saving London fare-payers on average £1,000 over four years and will put in place new policies to deliver jobs and growth in the capital.”

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