You are here: Home » News »

Why won’t Boris admit he’s a Tory?

February 15, 2012 11:23 am

Author:

Tags:

Share this Article

It’s becoming increasingly clear that Tory mayor Boris Johnson isn’t too keen on being referred to as a Tory. Or a Conservative for that matter. That’s perhaps surprising – and certainly won’t help him become Tory leader (a job which he seems at least as keen on as London Mayor).It’s not unusual in mayoral races – where the candidate is key – for election literature to play down the party affiliation or push the “name” as its own brand.

But Boris Johnson is trying to take that to a new level – producing leaflets with not one mention of his party.

With the Tories trailing Labour in London by 12 points, it’s not surprising that he wants to avoid being tainted with the brand, but the extent he’s gone to is quite surprising. Even the legally required “imprint” on the leaflets says “BackBoris2012″ rather than the Tory Party, and the GLA candidate is mentioned too – without any reference to the party they’re standing for. It’s not due to lack of space either – one leaflet manages to mention Ken Livingstone six times, without mentioning Cameron or the Tories once.

You can see Johnson’s attempts to hide his Tory Party membership (not once, but twice) here and here. In the meantime here’s a picture of Boris with David Cameron – a man whose job he wants, but whose name he evidently doesn’t wish to be associated with…

We’re sure these aren’t the only examples of Boris trying to distance himself from the Tory government. Email us with any examples you have and we’ll post some of the best ones.

Related posts:

  1. That’s where Boris is!
  2. Tory cuts mean Boris Johnson is not invulnerable
  3. Boris outmaneuvered by Labour activists
  4. Boris and the 2 billion pound “clerical error”
  5. It’s not just Ken Vs Boris

Latest

  • Comment Planning the revolution – Labour and the Spending Review

    Planning the revolution – Labour and the Spending Review

    By David Robinson

    In four weeks time the Chancellor will announce the results of the 2015 spending Review. There won’t be many winners but some will have lost more than others. Political commentators and discussion forums will pass judgement and public sector managers will, yet again, pick through the debris, making do and mending from what ever they can salvage. Before we get overtaken by the detail we should reflect on the bigger picture. What ever the chancellor says on June 26th it [...]

    Read more →
  • Comment A call for action at the G8

    A call for action at the G8

    By Ivan Lewis

    In less than a month’s time, the UK hosts the G8 Summit. With hunger, tax, trade and transparency all on the agenda, the UK has a unique opportunity to show global leadership on these issues. The scale of hunger is devastating. There is enough food in the world for everyone, yet 1 billion people still go hungry. 2.3 million children every year die from malnutrition – to put that in perspective, that is around 16,000 children every day. Or one [...]

    Read more →
  • News TUC suggests Football World Cup vote should be re-run – Media roundup: May 24th, 2013

    TUC suggests Football World Cup vote should be re-run – Media roundup: May 24th, 2013

    Subscribers to our morning email get the best of LabourList – including the Media and blog round up – every weekday morning. If you were a subscriber you would have already received this in your inbox. You can sign up here. TUC suggests Football World Cup vote should be re-run “The TUC along with its international equivalent – the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) – is calling on UEFA to address the appalling treatment of workers and players in Qatar and [...]

    Read more →
  • Featured A Northern Tory that Labour should be afraid of

    A Northern Tory that Labour should be afraid of

    By Mark Ferguson

    The Labour Party spends a great deal of time beating itself up over its performance in Southern England. We know it simply isn’t good enough, but we can’t seem to put our finger on why exactly that’s the case. Is it demographics? No. Culture? Perhaps. Lack of basic party organisation in some areas? It’s certainly a factor. But whilst we’re flagellating ourselves over our inability to perform south of the Watford gap (outside of London), we should remember that the [...]

    Read more →
  • Comment Featured Why we love Woolwich

    Why we love Woolwich

    By Jon Wilson

    Woolwich is an amazing place. It’s where the Labour party was founded as a mass membership organization. The Woolwich Provident was one of Britain’s first building societies. The Royal Arsenal Coop one of our first cooperative societies. Woolwich had the second Polytechnic in the country, created with the aim of providing education for working adults. Woolwich is my nearest big town centre, where I shop and go to meet friends. In the last few days, for many people, its name [...]

    Read more →