[Cyclist]

What, with an investigation into Tory Islamophobia still rumbling on?

How much ammunition would that gift the Opposition?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Let's be generous and assume that Shaun gets some message discipline and rallies a few more car owners. What does that give him on the second round? 37? 38? Atrocious.

On the other hand, Twitter suggests that lots of people who don't live in London are strongly opposed to Khan.

[cycloon]

Khan gets a lot of flack from people outside London. I wonder why????

[mattomac]

The thing is the Tories will have to offer something different, problem with the TFL thing was it opened the door to facts that don’t look great on the ex London mayor. Bailey is a woeful candidate who probably won’t poll above 35, The Tories probably know that.

They tried in the last few months it didn’t work, what they currently offer is what a majority of Londoners don’t want.

[davidjay]

I've noticed lately that a lot of people are against devolved parliaments and elected mayors. Last year the same people were all in favour of democracy.

[Andy McDandy]

See Cummings and regional assemblies.

[Tubby Isaacs]

One of the few rational ways of understanding the awful Bailey candidacy is as a broad brush thrasher of devolution, aimed at an audience outside London.

[The Red Arrow]

Yes, I've noticed a recent upsurge in right wing gobshites attempting to turn the provinces against London. Almost like it's a co-ordinated divide and rule strategy.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

I dunno. See also Burnham, A.

[mr angry manchester]

I like Andy Burnham. I think he's doing ok as Manchester regional mayor, and I met him briefly once, came across as a decent sort.

PS Mrs A thinks he's....nice

[Andy McDandy]

Not too sure if there is a strategy beyond "winning". Kahn is bad because he's Labour and one of them. Mayor of the west Midlands is OK because he's one of us etc. Important thing is to be winning, even if the argument is crap and you actually support the other side's point of view. Admitting your opponents might be right is losing, therefore can't be done. Buy beating them and adopting their ideas is double winning because reasons.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The WM Mayor is a good candidate, an outsider with business experience who you can imagine being persuasive with investors and getting his head around the spreadsheets.

Bailey isn't. Couldn't they get another Andy Street for London?

[mattomac]

They culled the likes of Rory Stewart and Justine Greening from their party.

If you look at the new intake it doesn’t fill you with much hope when the sane half of the party is represented by Nicola Morgan and Jeremy Hunt you have to realise they went down a cul de sac a while back.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Greening had gone full Remainer, so might have been a stretch for a Tory candidate. But Stewart was an "accept the referendum, but we leave with a deal" guy. Somebody like that would, I think, have been well suited to being their London candidate. He got Covid right early too.

[davidjay]

The WM Mayor is a good candidate, an outsider with business experience who you can imagine being persuasive with investors and getting his head around the spreadsheets.

Bailey isn't. Couldn't they get another Andy Street for London?

In the run-up to the mayoral election it was interesting, and depressing, to hear how many otherwise Labour-sympathetic voters were supporting Street because they reckoned that as a Tory he would be best placed to get favours from national government.