The headline figure suggests the race to be London Mayor is over. A poll in today’s Evening Standard hands Sadiq Khan a 25-point lead over Susan Hall, his Conservative rival, with just 10 weeks to go until polling day.
It is a remarkable and reasonably static advantage, testament to the Mayor’s political skill and Labour’s present strength across the country. Yet the underlying data paints a far less rosy picture for Khan, with only about a quarter of Londoners saying they are satisfied with him.
Meanwhile, Hall’s 24 per cent total support places her ahead of the Conservative Party in London’s 17 per cent, illustrating the significant headwinds any Tory candidate would be facing. Of course, Hall does not always help herself, whether it is historic Twitter activity or uneven media performances.
The final result appears not to be in doubt — Khan is romping towards a third term. But the capital is still crying out for a heavyweight debate on everything from knife crime and the performance of the Metropolitan Police, to the cost of living and reliability of transport. Hall still has an opportunity to introduce herself to millions of voters and grill Khan on the bread-and-butter issues affecting our city. She must seize it.
Stop this division
Former minister for London Paul Scully began a radio interview criticising fellow Conservative MP Lee Anderson for his claims that Islamists had “got control” of the Mayor. He ended it by suggesting that there are “no-go” areas in Tower Hamlets.
Scully was, for a brief moment, the great Tory hope to become the party’s mayoral candidate. Having not made the shortlist, he understandably felt somewhat aggrieved. Yet that is no grounds for making inflammatory comments about parts of the city, the only effect being to divide Londoners as well as those from further afield who couldn’t even place Tower Hamlets on a map.
The romance of rail
The chief executive of low-cost airline Ryanair has warned holidaymakers to expect higher fares this summer as a result of the late delivery of new Boeing planes.
One alternative is to ditch the eternal damnation that is UK airports and instead go by train. In today’s newspaper, we bring you the old-world romance of travelling by rail, as well as where to stay once you get there.
Milan, Barcelona and Provence are all within easy reach, as is Tangier in Morocco (albeit not entirely by train). Europe by rail isn’t always cheaper while door-to-door, it’s a little slower. But therein lies the beauty of train travel, where the journey is the destination.
