As potential candidates multiply, this election race is mandatory viewing.
Do you remember our video with Drillminister before the general election, the one where we tried to encourage the public to register to vote? Yes? Ok.
On Monday, he became the latest to announce his candidacy for the Mayor of London.
Speaking on LBC he described himself as, ‘the realist Londoner that is in this election … I believe every single other person is going to be talking down to their constituents to encourage them to vote for them’.
As well as taking the stance of being from the people for the people, he took aim at current incumbent Sadiq Khan, accusing him of trying to follow the same path as Boris Johnson, saying: ‘I believe his heart lies in trying to be the first Asian Prime Minister. I don’t believe London is where his heart lies’.
This comment does seem to contradict fact, given that it comes just days after Khan and City Hall said they would be offering free legal advice to EU citizens on Brexit Day this Friday — arguably a dedicated strategy from a team that is concerned with the welfare of Londoners. Time will show where Khan’s interests invariably lie.
Besides, Drillminister wasn’t the only new candidate. David Kurten, former member of UKIP and author of their 2019 Election Manifesto, announced on Monday that he would be standing as an independent. According to Breitbart he, ‘tore up his membership card last week [as UKIP] was still as riven by in-fighting as ever’. He will nevertheless stand on pro-Brexit pro-Conservative grounds.
Practically speaking, the effect of these new candidates is likely to be minimal, although they will make any potential television or radio debate between the existing candidates that much more entertaining.
Away from the new faces on the campaign trail the focus, invariably, turned to crime. Khan pledged to double the increase in council tax in order to create more financial capital. To put this in context, the increase will mean that each home in London will pay an extra ten pounds to the Metropolitan Police each year.
Shaun Bailey too, had a new crime policy. This is centred not around putting police in but on criminals coming out. The aim of the Second Chances Fund is to provide criminals aged 19 and over, A-Levels before they are released. According to the Enfield Independent, £15.4 million, freed from cancelled projects, would be spent on a scheme that looks at the causes of crime, rather than the result of criminal activity.
This comes at a time when the UK’s prisons are reaching crisis point. Just last week, the Ministry of Justice released a report that showed a prisoner commits suicide every four days. This demonstrates a lack of consideration for, even in 2020, the health and rehabilitation of the men and women behind bars.
Siobhan Benita and Rory Stewart have been quiet recently.
Stewart visited Swaffield Primary School in Tooting on Friday evening but has been quiet otherwise. Meanwhile, ahead of a plastic clean up in Hammersmith on Sunday, Liberal Democrat candidate Siobhan visited Bromley to promise a new express night bus service, should she become London’s first female mayor.
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Christopher Sharp
Award winning Dyspraxic Journalist who's been runover by a lorry (how many of those do you know? ;-) )
I am a recent graduate from King's College London where I studied War Studies and History
I am also the co-founder of LGBTQ+ charity Racing Pride
