Candidates' Joint Letter in the Evening Standard
Filed in News
Despite a blaze of publicity, less than a quarter of eligible London voters in the 1998 referendum said they wanted a London Mayor and the Greater London Authority. In subsequent mayoral elections, two thirds of voters have stayed at home. After the euphoria of New Labour ebbed away, people have begun to see the costs and waste of bolt-on regional government. It is our belief that the electors of Greater London should be given the chance to rectify the Government's mistake. The Conservative Party's primaries should include candidates committed to abolishing or reforming the institutions of devolved London government. Sticking just with candidates who accept the status quo would mean short-changing Londoners. Simon Fawthrop and Dr Lee Rotherham, candidates, Conservative London mayoral primaries.
