After weeks of speculation and whispers, MIke Tuffrey has confirmed he wants to be the Liberal Democrat candidate in next year’s Mayoral election.
After months of a ‘contest’ consisting solely of the publicity hungry Lembit Opik, the LibDems finally have a credible challenger to offer Londoners.
As anyone who read the comments beneath my recent piece on why Lembit isn’t the right choice will have spotted, Opik’s policies crumble at the slightest scrutiny.
In a race between Boris, Ken and Lembit the LibDems will be relegated to bystanders while the current and former Mayors serve up increasingly creative accounts of their respective terms of office.
In contrast, a contest which included two three-term Assembly veterans would ensure the debate about London’s past and future was informed by fact and first-hand knowledge.
Neither Ken or Boris really wants to be harried and challenged by people who were present when they made decisions about police numbers or fares but both would welcome candidate Opik with open arms.
For that reason, Ken v Boris v Jenny v Mike is the election London deserves.
