Excellent news from England - Red Ken is defeated
From the
Guardian:
Johnson beats Livingstone to become mayor of London
Boris Johnson was sensationally elected to one of the most powerful positions in Britain today when he ousted Ken Livingstone as mayor of London.
The Conservative MP, whose candidacy was once dismissed as a joke, beat Livingstone by 1,168,738 to 1,028,966 including second preferences - 53.2% to 46.8% - in a result announced five minutes before midnight.
The result set the seal on the best set of local election results for the Conservative party since 1992. The prospect of the Tories taking control of London has horrified Labour, and David Cameron will be hoping that the results set his party towards general election victory.
In his acceptance speech, Johnson, a journalist who first made his name as a national figure as a contestant on Have I Got News For You, acknowledged that many voters would have had their pencils "hovering for a moment" before they ticked the box on the ballot paper beside his name.
He promised he would "work flat out" to gain their trust.
Livingstone is a Socialist and was an ineffective mayor. Glad to see England recover its senses.
Posted by DaveH at May 2, 2008 10:18 PM