• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

MayorWatch

London News and Comment

  • NEWS
  • Twitter

Do Primaries change the race for Mayor?

July 9, 2013 - Martin Hoscik@MayorWatch

Lots of excitement among Labour quarters after Labour Ed Miliband announcement that the next Labour candidate for Mayor of London will be selected via a Primary – a vote in which registered party members and non-members who register as supporters will be able to cast a vote.

Primaries are the ‘in thing’ and they might well have a role in opening up the selection of Parliamentary candidates where a party wants to increase its vote by selecting a candidate with broad appeal.

If you’ve consistently been second or third in a ‘safe’ seat and want to leapfrog your opponents, it makes sense to offer local voters a say in the selection of the eventual candidate in the hope that this translates into enough votes come polling day to win the seat.

But I fail to see the benefits of Primaries in selecting a candidate for Mayor of London where the need to secure more than 50% of the vote means parties already need to pick candidates who appeal beyond the narrow party base.

Will Londoners who’ve not already joined the party want to sign up as a supporter so they can hear half a dozen would-be runners argue among themselves about who has the purer take on its ideology?

We’ve already had one Primary to select a Mayoral candidate – a mere 20,019 voted to select a Conservative candidate in 2007, hardly a ringing endorsement of the concept as was the lack of outcry when Labour or the Tories failed to hold one in 2012.

But what if I’m wrong and the public do take the idea of Primaries to their heart? What if tens of thousands of Londoners flock to the public meetings and register to vote?

In that case the most likely – and presumably unintended – impact of a Primary is that some of those talked up as potential runners will be driven from the race, unable to capture the imaginations of a wider, selector base.

Some, such as Sadiq Khan, who talk up the impact of a Primary are likely to be among the first victims while a familiar, moderate face such as Tessa Jowell could lead-frog the so-called front runners.

More widely, could a party membership end up with a candidate they don’t support or want? And if so, how would that candidate rally the troops and ensure they hit the streets?

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)

Tagged With: 2016 London Elections

RECENT UPDATES

TfL proposes bus and tube cuts and annual fares increases to achieve long-term financial sustainability

London’s entire bus fleet now meets ULEZ emissions standards

New road layout comes into effect at Old Street roundabout

TfL funding enables creation of 2,000 new cycle parking spaces




Popular

1,700 extra Santander Cycles are coming to London’s streets

TfL confirms changes to Older Person’s Freedom Pass and 60+ Oyster card hours

TfL fares to rise in return for £1.6bn Government rescue package

Election for Mayor of London and London Assembly postponed until 2021

FEATURED

City Hall to move to Docklands as Mayor seeks to raise £55m for frontline services

‘Concern’ over TfL’s ability to deliver major projects in wake of Crossrail cost overruns

City Hall halts London Overground ticket office closures but many will still see opening hours reduced

Transport for London confirms bus cuts will go ahead despite passenger opposition

GOT A STORY?

As the original London news and scrutiny site we've been casting an eye over the capital's public services and politicians since 1999.

 

Many of our top stories started with a tip-off from a reader - if you've got something you'd like us to cover get in touch and we'll do the rest.

Stay In Touch

  • E-mail
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 MayorWatch Publications Limited · MayorWatch is Registered Trademark · All Rights Reserved · Contact Us · Terms of Use · Privacy Policy

MayorWatch Publications Limited · 20-22 Wenlock Road · London N1 7GU · Company Number 6291816

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.