- 03 May 2008 01:54
#1522977
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... Mayor.html
Boris Johnson is the new London Mayor
By Andrew Porter and Robert Winnett
Last Updated: 1:29AM BST 03/05/2008
Boris Johnson claimed a remarkable victory in the London mayoral contest on Friday night to cap a disastrous series of results for Gordon Brown in his first electoral test as Prime Minister.
Newly crowned London Mayor Boris Johnson gives his acceptance speech at City Hall
The Conservative candidate's win over Ken Livingstone followed a calamitous showing for Labour at the local elections - the party's worst performance at the polls for 40 years.
Mr Johnson's landmark victory, a result that would have been almost unthinkable six months ago, was the most symbolic blow to Mr Brown's authority on a day that left the Prime Minister facing the gravest crisis of his leadership.
By taking City Hall, Mr Johnson becomes the first Tory politician to hold a senior role in British politics since the party was swept out of power in 1997. His win provided a significant boost to David Cameron's bid for victory at the next general election.
In the local elections, Labour lost more than 300 councillors and slumped to a humiliating third place behind the Liberal Democrats in the share of the vote – a full 20 points behind Mr Cameron's Conservatives.
The results represented a significant breakthrough for Mr Cameron and were the best the Tories have recorded at the polls since John Major won the 1992 general election. If translated to a General Election, it would see the Tories with a Commons majority of more than 100.
As one Labour backbencher gave Mr Brown six months to reverse the party's slide or resign, comparisons were made between his Premiership and the dying days of John Major's tenure. The Tories predicted the results marked the beginning of the end of Labour's three terms in Government.
On a night of unremittingly bad news for Mr Brown's administration:
The Conservatives took a 44 per cent share of the national vote, the Liberal Democrats 25 per cent and Labour just 24 per cent;
Labour lost 331 council seats – far beyond even their worst predictions – while the Tories won 256;
The Tories made key breakthroughs in the North while Labour was wiped out in the South.
A buoyant Mr Cameron hailed the results as a "very big moment" for the Conservatives, with party strategists likening it to Tony Blair's success in the 1995 local elections, which preceded Labour's landslide election victory two years later.
"I think these results are not just a vote against Gordon Brown and his government," said Mr Cameron, "I think they are a vote of positive confidence in the Conservative Party.
"This is a very big moment for the Conservative Party. I don't want any one to think we would deserve to win an election just on the back of a failing government. I want us to really prove to people that we can make the changes that they want to see."
George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, said the results were a "very, very good springboard".
By 10pm Mr Johnson appeared well on course for victory but he did not manage it on the first preference vote when the result came at midnight.
He was short of the required 50 per cent share, but after the second preference votes were added he was declared winner by 1,168,738 to 1,028,966.
Downing Street attempted to blame its catastrophic losses on the economic downturn. Mr Brown said: "It's clear to me that this has been a disappointing night, indeed a bad night, for Labour. I said I was going to listen and lead.
"We are in difficult economic circumstances. I think people accept that we're going through some of the most challenging times we've seen in many years. The test of leadership is not what happens in a period of success but what happens in difficult circumstances."
Boris Johnson is the new London Mayor
By Andrew Porter and Robert Winnett
Last Updated: 1:29AM BST 03/05/2008
Boris Johnson claimed a remarkable victory in the London mayoral contest on Friday night to cap a disastrous series of results for Gordon Brown in his first electoral test as Prime Minister.
Newly crowned London Mayor Boris Johnson gives his acceptance speech at City Hall
The Conservative candidate's win over Ken Livingstone followed a calamitous showing for Labour at the local elections - the party's worst performance at the polls for 40 years.
Mr Johnson's landmark victory, a result that would have been almost unthinkable six months ago, was the most symbolic blow to Mr Brown's authority on a day that left the Prime Minister facing the gravest crisis of his leadership.
By taking City Hall, Mr Johnson becomes the first Tory politician to hold a senior role in British politics since the party was swept out of power in 1997. His win provided a significant boost to David Cameron's bid for victory at the next general election.
In the local elections, Labour lost more than 300 councillors and slumped to a humiliating third place behind the Liberal Democrats in the share of the vote – a full 20 points behind Mr Cameron's Conservatives.
The results represented a significant breakthrough for Mr Cameron and were the best the Tories have recorded at the polls since John Major won the 1992 general election. If translated to a General Election, it would see the Tories with a Commons majority of more than 100.
As one Labour backbencher gave Mr Brown six months to reverse the party's slide or resign, comparisons were made between his Premiership and the dying days of John Major's tenure. The Tories predicted the results marked the beginning of the end of Labour's three terms in Government.
On a night of unremittingly bad news for Mr Brown's administration:
The Conservatives took a 44 per cent share of the national vote, the Liberal Democrats 25 per cent and Labour just 24 per cent;
Labour lost 331 council seats – far beyond even their worst predictions – while the Tories won 256;
The Tories made key breakthroughs in the North while Labour was wiped out in the South.
A buoyant Mr Cameron hailed the results as a "very big moment" for the Conservatives, with party strategists likening it to Tony Blair's success in the 1995 local elections, which preceded Labour's landslide election victory two years later.
"I think these results are not just a vote against Gordon Brown and his government," said Mr Cameron, "I think they are a vote of positive confidence in the Conservative Party.
"This is a very big moment for the Conservative Party. I don't want any one to think we would deserve to win an election just on the back of a failing government. I want us to really prove to people that we can make the changes that they want to see."
George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, said the results were a "very, very good springboard".
By 10pm Mr Johnson appeared well on course for victory but he did not manage it on the first preference vote when the result came at midnight.
He was short of the required 50 per cent share, but after the second preference votes were added he was declared winner by 1,168,738 to 1,028,966.
Downing Street attempted to blame its catastrophic losses on the economic downturn. Mr Brown said: "It's clear to me that this has been a disappointing night, indeed a bad night, for Labour. I said I was going to listen and lead.
"We are in difficult economic circumstances. I think people accept that we're going through some of the most challenging times we've seen in many years. The test of leadership is not what happens in a period of success but what happens in difficult circumstances."
- By FiveofSwords
- By late
- By ingliz
- By Tainari88