Greens pick Jones as 2012 Mayoral hopeful

Jenny Jones has been named as the Green Party’s candidate for Mayor of London, pitching her against Labour’s Ken Livingstone and incumbent Boris Johnson at next year’s Mayoral election.

Jones currently sits on the London Assembly and is also a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

First elected to the Assembly in 2000, Jones was formerly Deputy Mayor of London under Livingstone.

In a ballot of party members in the capital, she received 66% (458 votes) of 1st preference votes cast. She was facing a challenge from former Parliamentary candidates Shahrar Ali and Farid Bakht.

Ali received 19% (133) of votes with Bakht receiving 13% (90 votes).

Jones thanked party members for their support and promised to make “fighting cuts to housing benefit, the NHS and youth services a key part of my campaign to be Mayor.”

Although the chances of smaller parties winning the Mayoralty are widely considered slim, higher turn out for their candidate can help secure a strong vote in the London Assembly elections which are held on the same day as the Mayoral election.

Jones commented: “Unlike elections for parliament or local councils, the elections for the London Assembly are held under proportional representation. That means every vote counts. I’ll be urging Londoners to use their vote to elect more Green Assembly Members next year.”