The Green Party will tomorrow attempt to drive a wedge between LibDem voters and their Mayoral candidate Brian Paddick when Green Assembly Members Darren Johnson and Jenny Jones deliver an open letter to LibDem leader Nick Clegg inviting him and his party to back Green candidate Siân Berry.
The Greens claim recent policy announcements by Paddick, including a promise to scrap the Low Emissions Zone and cancel the £25 congestion charge for vehicles with the highest Co2 emissions, mean he is not a ‘genuine’ LibDem candidate.
Speaking last night Johnson claimed it was “increasingly clear that there is no Liberal Democrat candidate in this election. Brian Paddick, who holds the party’s nomination, has made it clear that his aim is to capture Conservative votes and he is turning his back on Lib Dem voters to do that.”
“We expected a display of anti-environment, pro-privatisation posturing from Boris Johnson, but it comes as a surprise to see it from Paddick. Lib Dems are no doubt similarly shocked.
Johnson sought to portray an image of empathy with LibDem voters saying they “have been placed in the unenviable position of being asked to vote for a Conservative with a yellow rosette, and most will now find themselves politically closer to the Green candidate then their own.”
“Siân Berry may not be a Liberal Democrat, but neither is Brian Paddick. We are urging Lib Dem supporters who still care about public transport, health and climate change to vote Green this time.”
