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Labour needs a new leader for London to take the attack to Boris

May 7, 2012 10:50 am

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Mark Ferguson was quick off the mark with his post profiling candidates who could be in the running to be Labour’s candidate for Mayor in 2016. The problem is that before we ask who the candidate should be, we need to ask how to position such an individual between now and 2016 so as to have the best chance of winning back the mayorship. Labour did not ask this question in 2008 because of Ken Livingstone’s ever-dominant presence. With Ken off the scene some deeper thinking is needed.

As underlined in Claire Coldbreath’s excellent piece about Ken at Liberal Conspiracy, the ideal Labour candidate needs to be able to speak for Labour in London, to speak for London. A leader for Labour in London if you like, in terms of policy but also a candidate whose name can be associated in the media with Labour’s answers to the many challenges facing the city. This person must be the go-to person for comment on Labour’s policies for London over the next four years.

The problem with most of the candidates Mark has profiled is that they all have other tasks other than to speak for Labour in London. Three are MPs (including a member of the Shadow Cabinet) and one is a Council leader. Oona King could develop her profile from within the Lords, but there she does not have a hand on any lever of power in London politics. Is that really the place from which to organise opposition to Boris Johnson?

The place from which Labour’s policies for London as a whole (and opposition to Boris Johnson) must emerge is within the Greater London Assembly where Labour has the biggest representation of any party ever with 12 seats (results here). While the powers of the Assembly to control the Mayor are limited, it nevertheless offers the best place for London-wide thinking for Labour.

Yet with Len Duvall as leader of Labour’s AMs, Val Shawcross as Ken’s chosen candidate for Deputy Mayor this year, and Jennette Arnold having recently boosted her profile as Chair of the Assembly, there is currently no preeminent character among Labour’s AMs. In the short term to scrutinise Boris, and longer term as a preeminent London politician with the chance to run for Mayor, Labour needs one preeminent figure to emerge within the GLA, and soon.

[Declaration of interest: I am the webmanager of the GLA Labour Group website, and Val Shawcross's website]

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  • TomFairfax

    Pretty much in line with my view as well. However, I’m not fussed where the clear leader comes from, as long as he campaigns to make himself redundant or provide sufficient restraints to the Mayoral power to the assembly, to make sure any mayor is not a law unto themselves.

    • AlanGiles

      I’d be happy to stand on a platform to make myself redundant within six months (just so there was time for all lose ends to be tied up), and I would have that vainglorious building that houses it  converted into social housing. I am glad other cities gave the idea the thumbs down last week – if there is as much interest in electing Police Commissioners, I can see turnout being so low that the election coverage will be able to be covered by the cub reporter on the Lower Bogworthy Advertiser.

      I would hope to do it in less than six months since I enjoy retirement.

      • TomFairfax

         Sounds to me there’s a volunteer Mr Giles.

        However, I think you might have to take some time out of the heavy retiree schedule of cribbage, snooker, and gardening, to beat the unkempt one.

  • http://petergkenyon.typepad.com/ Peter G Kenyon

    Dear Jon

    You pose a highly pertinent question. 

    But unless I am mistaken (a frequent occurrence, but, hey) there will be an election for leader of the GLA Labour Group leader? Maybe it has already taken place? If that election has not been framed in the context of who best to hold the Tory mayor to account and position Labour to win in 2016 (unless Labour is minded to abolish elected mayors) then the London Labour Party board needs to get busy.

    The leadership you seek can only come from among our 12 Labour representatives elected last Thursday. You cite three potential candidates, Len Duval, Val Shawcross, and Jennette Arnold. Maybe there are others from among the new intake.

    Effectively governance of the process is not helped by the chair of the London Labour Party board being none other than Len Duvall. Such blatant conflicts of interest have to legislated out of order by Conference. In the meantime a pragmatic view will have to prevail. Len must stand down as GLA Labour Group leader and allow a contested election to take place.

     

  • Barry_Edwards

    What is the career path to becoming an elected Mayor? Many initial elected Mayors are former leaders of the council but the gap between counciller and leader is far less than that between councillor/assembly member and elected Mayor and makes it less likely to be an internal development and more likely someone coming in from outside, possibly with no local government experience.

  • Donaldstavert

    Len Duvall for me He makes Boris squirm, he knows London like the back of his hand and is down to earth and served his time as a councillor and leader … We do not want some celebrity parachuted in to please the media ..

  • http://www.manandvan.biz/ boxes london

     Thanks for the information.

  • Steve Green

    Dear Jon

    I don’t know the Assembly members you mention so no disrespect to them (unlike to Labour councillors in Waltham Forest after last nights fiasco of a planning decision) but I don’t see a Mayoral candidate from them.  
    The  mayor of London has a role far different to leader or councillor of a borough etc.  Although the real work is little more than transport and police commissioner  the post stands alongside Mayors of other world cities on a par with London.   Richard Florida posed the key questions about the tasks facing London and its  Mayor; sadly neither Ken nor Boris came close. “Ken2000″ did, but that was then.

    The next candidate needs to have far more vision than on offer now.    She/he  will I feel not come from the ranks of current Labour councillors across the city, nor perhaps from Westminister, Commons or Lords.  Not a celebrity like Sugar, Branson etc

  • Steve Green

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