A momentous week on the Ken4London campaign trail

Whilst many Londoners were understandably dreading the start of the new working year this Tuesday, contending with wet windy weather, post-Christmas blues, and of course more expensive fares, the enthusiasm of Labour activists was of an unmatched level.

At 400 tube, train and tram stations in every borough of London, 2000 volunteers spent the morning talking to commuters who were facing their fourth consecutive year of fare hikes under Tory mayor Boris Johnson. They were spreading the word about Ken’s Fare Deal for London, the pledge to cut fares by 7% and slash a bus fare from £1.35 to £1.20 – in doing so they distributed over 500,000 leaflets. Evidence of the way this policy has seeped into the public consciousness and has come to dominate the Mayoral race can be seen in the media here and here. Richard Godwin in the Evening Standard proclaimed “The mayoral battle will now be a fare fight” whilst Dave Hill in the Guardian wrote that “There are signs that the Fare Deal campaign is drawing blood”.

It’s essential that all those volunteers who partook in Tuesday’s activity know just how important a role they played and will continue to play in the coming months.

Ensuring that our Fare Deal policy breaks through into the hearts and minds of ordinary Londoners will be crucial for a Labour victory in May. This policy is important in many ways. Firstly, it demonstrates that it does matter who the Mayor is, because the mayor has the authority to make big changes to the things that affect the lives of ordinary Londoners every day. This is no ceremonial post, and a mayor who may be frequently snapped cutting ribbons and at charity galas but on whose watch fares have risen, serious crime has risen, police numbers have fallen, and there is a housing shortage is a mayor who is failing Londoners.

Secondly, it draws a clear line in the sand between the Tory mayor, who represents the 1%, and a Labour mayor who promises to be in it for the 99%. Boris Johnson has spent his time lobbying for a tax cut to benefit only the very richest, and has met bankers more than he has met the police. In contrast, Ken’s Fare Deal will leave the average Londoner £1000 better off over the next four years at a time when they are being more squeezed than ever. Who doesn’t feel that sense of injustice when they go to pay for their ticket and find the price has gone up yet again? It’s an issue that almost every Londoner can relate to, if the 20,000 hits our website took in just three days are anything to go by.

Of course, our campaign is about much more than one day or one week of activity. We must build on the momentum of this week as we move towards an election in less than four months time. As part of this, we launched a feathery-themed fundraising drive this week, in which we aimed to raise £10,000 by the end of January. Within just 22 hours of launching, we had raised over £6000, and 1000 people voted on a name for our fundraising chicken.

And the reason for the chicken theme? That’s because Boris Johnson has refused to debate with Ken on fares. Just this week, as his fare increases came into effect, Boris wasn’t here to defend or justify them. The out of touch mayor was out of sight, last spotted in a luxury Italian ski resort.

We are now little over 100 days away from a Mayoral election. From May 4th, when we will find out who will lead London for the next four years – a Labour mayor for the 99%, or a Tory mayor for the 1%. Thank you to everyone who played a part in this so far –and if you have not yet, go to yourken.org to sign up and find out more.

Simon Fletcher is the Chief of Staff for the Ken Livingstone Campaign