Jon Cruddas backs David Lammy for London Mayor

Jon Cruddas has backed David Lammy to be Labour’s candidate for London Mayor.

The Dagenham and Rainham MP, who wrote the party’s manifesto, told the Evening Standard, “I’ve worked with David for many years and I like the way he campaigns.”

He said the MP for Tottenham  was better placed than the other candidates – who include Tessa Jowell, Sadiq Khan and Diane Abbott – to appeal “above and beyond the traditional political boundaries.”

And he warned that the mayoral election would a tough one for Labour: “The Tories are going to throw up a challenging candidate, I guess. They’ve got a real buzz about them at present which we cannot underestimate.”

Cruddas also praised Lammy’s book about the 2011 riots Out of the Ashes saying that “it didn’t shy away from difficult issues, like tensions around multiculturalism and liberalism and how we have to pull together as a city.”

Labour should try to win just by “vote-harvesting among the different communities” of London, he said:

“I like the way David goes beyond that and seeks to weave together a common story for Londoners. He shows he can unite across Left and Right … and not just a Labour base.”