The Liberal Democrats have announced their list of ‘top-up’ London Assembly candidates for 2012’s Greater London Authority elections.
Caroline Pidgeon, who was first elected to the London Assembly in 2008, tops the list guaranteeing that she’ll retain her seat as a Londonwide member after the elections.
Unlike Labour and the Conservtaives, the LibDems have no constituency seats on the London Assembly and rely on the ‘top-up’ list for their seats. Londonwide seats are allocated to each party based on share of the vote and members elected in the order they appear on their party list.
Long-serving AMs Mike Tuffrey and Dee Doocey, who were re-elected in 2008, have already announced that they would be standing down at the 2012 elections.
If the party is able to maintain its 2008 share of the vote the second and third placed Stephen Knight and Bridget Fox will join Pidgeon on the Assembly.
Liberal Democrat MP for Carshalton and Wallington and London Spokesperson Tom Brake said his party had ” a proud record on the London Assembly of holding the Mayor to account” and predicted the candidates would offer “an excellent choice in terms of diversity and equality.”
Brake added: “I would like to offer on behalf of London Liberal Democrats our sincere thanks to Dee Doocey and Mike Tuffrey for their many years of service to London.”
Doocey has said she’ll continue to speak for London when she enters the House of Lords next year.
The full Liberal Democrat list is as follows:
Caroline Pidgeon
Stephen Knight
Bridget Fox
Shas Sheehan
Jeremy Ambache
Merlene Emerson
Emily Davey
Steve Bradley
Marisha Ray
Nick Russell
Ajmal Masroor
