Johnson closes odds on Livingstone
Boris one point behind mayor Ken
Friday, 04, Jan 2008 12:00
The race between Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson is too close to call as the two candidates for mayor of London face a final four months of campaigning.
Just one point separates the two leading mayoral candidates, prompting at least one betting agency to reduce their odds on Mr Johnson emerging victorious after May 1st.
A YouGov poll for ITV's London Tonight found support for current mayor Mr Livingstone's re-election stands at 45 per cent while Mr Johnson's support stands at 44 per cent.
Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick is trailing badly in the polls, with an approval rating of 12 per cent.
Mr Livingstone's team argues polls consistently underestimate support for the mayor, while the results are based on the views of just 995 Londoners, with undecided voters and those not planning to cast a ballot excluded.
Nevertheless Ladbrokes has cut its odds on Mr Johnson succeeding the Labour candidate from 7/4 to 6/4.
The odds offered on Mr Livingstone's re-election are now 4/7 after the mayor was tipped at 1/2 earlier in the campaign.
Mr Paddick is 12/1 favourite to win while outsiders Sian Berry, standing for the Green Party and Big Issue founder John Bird, standing as an independent, are both at 100/1.
Crime emerged as the largest single factor influencing voters, with 68 per cent saying it would affect their decision.
Some 63 per cent are set to be swayed by the candidates' transport policies, not including the congestion charge, while 47 per cent consider recycling and the environment to be a decisive factor.
When questioned on Mr Livingstone's highly-contentious congestion charge, 42 per cent of voters said they supported it, set against 44 per cent opposed.
Mr Livingstone's campaign received a boost yesterday when the British Muslim Initiative publicly back his re-election, saying Mr Johnson was "openly disdainful of Islam and Muslims".
Despite a reputation for high-profile gaffes, the Conservative mayoral candidate has so far run a relatively professional campaign, with his team touting his attempts to appeal to all London boroughs.