Livingstone brands Boris 'a joke' in London mayoral elections
{{date|April 30, 2008}}
[[Image:Ken Livingstone - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 2008.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Ken Livingstone in January 2008{{image credit|[http://www.flickr.com/people/15237218@N00 World Economic Forum]}}]]
[[Image:Boris Johnson and John Hemming cropped.jpg|thumb|right|Boris Johnson in 2006{{image credit|[http://www.flickr.com/photos/17358094@N00/ johnhemming]}}]]
On the final day of campaigning before the vote in the [[w:London mayoral election, 2008|London mayoral election]], incumbent [[w:Ken Livingstone|Ken Livingstone]] attacked main rival [[w:Boris Johnson|Boris Johnson]] as "a joke". He warned [[London]]ers that they were not voting in a "Celebrity Mayor" contest.

Livingstone unveiled a campaign poster in [[w:West Ham|West Ham]] that will also be printed on postcards and sent to one million Londoners.  It reads: "Don't vote for a joke. Vote for London."

"It's not an election for the host of ''Have I Got News For You'' or a celebrity mayor. It's about who is best placed to run an £11bn budget every year," Mayor Livingstone said, referring to the [[w:Have I Got News for You|panel game show]], for which Boris Johnson has been a guest host.

"Tomorrow you have a choice between new policies and fresh energy from a new mayor in City Hall or more of the same from a tired, out-of-date administration that is beset by allegations of sleaze," responded Johnson in a [[w:electronic mailing list|mass e-mail]] to over 500,000 voters. "I am optimistic about London's future and believe we can make London a greater place to live in."

London will be voting for mayor tomorrow, May 1. Ken Livingstone is the candidate for [[w:Labour Party (UK)|The Labour Party]] and Boris Johnson is the candidate for the [[w:Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]. There are a number of other candidates, but recent [[w:London mayoral election, 2008#Opinion Polling|opinion polls]] have shown it to be a two-person race, with some polls predicting a victory for Livingstone and others Johnson.

{{haveyoursay}}
==Sources==
{{wikipediapar|London mayoral election, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUKL3051190720080430?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true
|title=Mayoral hopefuls clash on last day of campaign
|author=Peter Griffiths
|pub=Reuters
|date=April 30, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/7375465.stm
|title=Mayor says Tory rival is a 'joke'
|author=|pub=BBC News Online
|date=April 30, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5ioG_s8y386h2DrK6N0BFqiC8eVBg
|title=Livingstone brands Boris 'a joke'
|author=|pub=Press Association
|date=April 30, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1735838,00.html
|title=London's Mayoral Race: No Joke
|author=Catherine Mayer
|pub=Time (magazine)
|date=April 29, 2008}}

{{publish}}
{{archived}}

[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:London]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Boris Johnson]]
[[Category:Ken Livingstone]]
Ken Livingstone in January 2008
Boris Johnson in 2006
On the final day of campaigning before the vote in the London mayoral election, incumbent Ken Livingstone attacked main rival Boris Johnson as "a joke". He warned Londoners that they were not voting in a "Celebrity Mayor" contest.

Livingstone unveiled a campaign poster in West Ham that will also be printed on postcards and sent to one million Londoners.  It reads: "Don't vote for a joke. Vote for London."

"It's not an election for the host of Have I Got News For You or a celebrity mayor. It's about who is best placed to run an £11bn budget every year," Mayor Livingstone said, referring to the panel game show, for which Boris Johnson has been a guest host.

"Tomorrow you have a choice between new policies and fresh energy from a new mayor in City Hall or more of the same from a tired, out-of-date administration that is beset by allegations of sleaze," responded Johnson in a mass e-mail to over 500,000 voters. "I am optimistic about London's future and believe we can make London a greater place to live in."

London will be voting for mayor tomorrow, May 1. Ken Livingstone is the candidate for The Labour Party and Boris Johnson is the candidate for the Conservative Party. There are a number of other candidates, but recent opinion polls have shown it to be a two-person race, with some polls predicting a victory for Livingstone and others Johnson.
Europe United Kingdom London Politics and conflicts Elections Boris Johnson Ken Livingstone