By unseating Ken Livingstone Boris Johnson has pulled off a remarkable feat and he’ll be the toast of local Tory associations for weeks to come.
Following as it does some good results in local elections across England and Wales it’s clear that party chiefs will claim his victory is evidence of a change in Tory fortunes with the potential for a Conservative government after the next General Election.
Mayor Boris is likely to come under enormous pressure to ensure that his policies don’t embarrass or make life difficult for the national party but very shortly he must make it clear that he’s London’s Mayor far more than he’s David Cameron’s and that it’s Londoners will always be ahead of national Tory party interests.
If the two should happily coincide that’s fine but Boris’s primary duty is to serve London to the best of his ability, not shore up votes for Cameron in a future General Election.
