Sunday 04 May 2008 1:52 am
After a long election day and an equally long day of counting, we now have Boris Johnson as Mayor of London. I first met Boris when we were both students, and although he didn't get my vote, he is Londoners' choice and so I hope he makes a success of it. Boris himself acknowledged that his win doesn't mean London has turned Conservative. What struck me was how polarised voters were between Ken and Boris; which unfairly squeezed out our excellent Mayoral candidate, Brian Paddick. Ironically, some of Boris' most popular policies (abandon the western extension of the congestion charge, phase out bendy buses, and sort out the perceived corruption at City Hall) were first floated by Brian.

Our local candidate for the London North East seat, Meral Ece, did well. Despite a high turnout of Labour and Conservative voters for the celebrity style Mayoral vote, Meral got the third best vote share for a Liberal Democrat in the London Assembly elections, and polled higher than the base Lib Dem vote in north London. This is a tribute to her hard work and warm style; as a local mum, Meral really connected with families concerned about crime. And through her links with the Turkish community, Meral encouraged many people to get involved in local politics for the first time during this campaign.

Nationally, Labour have had terrible election results, the worst for 40 years. They are now the third party behind the Lib Dems. People all across the political spectrum feel let down by the Labour government. And just as anti-Labour voters rallied behind Boris on Thursday, here in Islington South & Finsbury, people know that the best way to beat Labour is to vote Liberal Democrat.