Rory Stewart said Ken Livingstone was a better Mayor than Boris Johnson in a candid interview on Peston.
The independent candidate for the 2020 election said he doesn’t see the Prime Minister as a model for what a good Mayor should be, saying:
“To be honest, the best Mayor we had in London was in 2000 to 2004.
“An independent Mayor of London – he was the guy who got stuff done.
“He was the guy who sorted out the Olympics, sorted out the Oyster cards, sorted out the congestion charge.”
.@RoryStewartUK thinks Ken Livingstone was London’s best Mayor saying Boris Johnson was “a big personality” #Peston pic.twitter.com/y62FUd0ztG
— Peston (@itvpeston) October 9, 2019
Greatest city on earth
Stewart announced last week that he too would be standing as an independent in the next Mayoral elections.
The former Tory leadership candidate stood down from the party and said he would not run in the next general election.
In a video posted on Twitter shortly after the announcement he said he plans to run against Sadiq Khan and Shaun Bailey in the next mayoral election, scheduled for 7th May next year.
Recording on Millennium Bridge, he said:
“I’m standing in the middle of the greatest city on earth.
“I’ve got the wondrous St Paul’s Cathedral behind me in this slightly dodgy selfie.
“And it is a city not just with so much potential but, of course, a city that is now in real danger.
“Danger from Brexit, from technological change.
Extremism taking over our country
“But I think above all from what’s happened in British politics, to the kind of extremism that is taking over our country.
“This was the most moderate country on Earth.
“One of the most settled places on Earth.
“A place that treated people with civility and dignity and the reason that I’m going to be running in May to be the Mayor of London is that I believe the way to fight back is through this great city.”