Tory cuts mean Boris Johnson is not invulnerable

By Veronica King

How do we ‘judge’ the mayor’s performance? More importantly, what are the defining factors for how millions of Londoners will judge him when they go to the polls in May 2012?

On the basis of the hours I have spent speaking to Londoners from Hendon to Eltham in recent months – both during the mayoral selection campaign and now as part of the Labour 2012 campaign – there are two issues that come up time and again: the importance of public transport, and the need for a leader who will stand up for Londoners and fight the governments cuts.

Ask the average Londoner what Boris has actually achieved during his mayoralty and you will generally be greeted with a blank expression.

But the vast majority will be able to tell you about the hikes to their transport costs and the increasingly poor service. Single bus fares up 44% in 3 years. Staff cuts. Ever increasing amounts of disruption – such as last week’s advice that we should all avoid using Victoria underground for the next year. They will also be able to tell you about how the government’s spending cuts are affecting their day-to-day life. VAT increasing. Child and housing benefit being cut. Vital local services under threat. Londoners want a Mayor who will stand up for them and fight vicious government cuts.

It has become increasingly apparent there is just one small elite group Boris is interested in doing this for: the bankers, whose wages he will defend time and again.

This week’s poll showing Boris Johnson marginally behind Ken for the first time must be treated with caution. No campaign should allow its message to be framed by the polls – and we are many months from the real heat of the campaign. But Left Foot Forward highlighted last autumn that the trend in the London polls was towards narrowing the gap. More importantly, simply by indicating that it is possible for Boris Johnson to be behind, it indicates that he is far from invulnerable.

Our campaign for 2012 is well and truly underway. We didn’t stop after Ken’s selection, with numerous volunteers continuing to turn out each weekly basis in significant numbers for speak to voters as we build support for Ken in every corner of the capital.

The appointment of the excellent Assembly Member Val Shawcross, a former outer London borough council leader and the Labour spokesperson for transport, is extremely welcome. The atmosphere in the campaign is one of optimism and determination. The mix of volunteers is impressive, with lifelong members sat alongside the latest additions, is inspiring. Our campaigning against Boris’s huge fare increases at the new year drew overwhelming support.

In fact, if there was a defining moment in recent months that encapsulates the Tory mayor’s performance for me, it would be the scene at Tooting Bec station at 8am on 4th January.

Commuters arriving at the station to make the dreaded return to work after Christmas faced a nasty surprise. Not only did they face Boris’s huge fare hike, with a month’s travel pass into central London now costing £8 more than it had a few days previously, but in the midst of these price increases was a scene of travel chaos – a suspended tube line, major delays and queues backing out of the station.

I was there along with fellow activists from Tooting Labour Party, leafleting against the ‘unfare’ price hikes, and the anger from locals was palpable. Rarely before have I seen so many heads nodding in agreement from commuters grabbing leaflets. Londoners know that transport is in the hands of the mayor, and they will not hesitate to blame him.

That moment encapsulates why I believe the Labour campaign for 2012 is heading in the right direction. We are building on momentum, learning for the mistakes of the past, and focusing on the issues most important to Londoners.

* Veronica King will be speaking alongside Labour, LibDem and Green Assembly members to debate “Tory Mayor – What’s the Verdict?” at the Progressive London conference, 19 February 2010. Registration details here.

Veronica was vice-chair of Ken Livingstone’s campaign to be Labour’s candidate for Mayor and is a member of Tooting CLP.