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In London's mayoral race, Labour's Sadiq Khan and the Tories' Zac Goldsmith have a substantial lead – but here's our guide to the rest of the contenders. Vote wisely!
Caroline Pidgeon, Liberal Democrats
Citing her eight years as a London Assembly member as qualification for the post of mayor, Pidgeon’s agenda includes: a housing levy to finance 200,000 new homes; putting 3,000 more police officers on the streets; tougher measures against letting agents and private landlords; and scrapping that pesky Garden Bridge. Vote for her if... you want a candidate with frontline experience who can see things from a pigeon’s POV.
Peter Whittle, UKIP
As with many of the candidates, the housing shortage is at the forefront of Whittle’s mind – it’s a problem he puts down to unchecked immigration due to the UK’s membership of the EU. He aims to solve the crisis by prioritising social housing for those who have been in the city for at least five years. But it’s not all about immigration. One of Whittle’s other key policies is the introduction of the 90-minute multiple journey bus ticket. Vote for him if... you’re worried about the influence Brussels has over our city, and also go on bus binges.
Sian Berry, Green Party
What she stands for The Green candidate’s policies certainly sound admirable on paper. As you’d imagine, Berry wants to put tougher measures in place against air pollution, but the city’s public transport also looms large in her plans: she wants to create a single travel zone for London and a universal flat fare by 2025. She also promises to protect council housing and arts venues against redevelopers. Vote for her if... you’d like to be able to claim you ‘live in Zone 1’. Okay, there’ll only be one, but still…
George Galloway, Respect Party
Having lost his Bradford West seat in last May’s general election, the fedora-wearing former ‘Big Brother’ contestant now has his sights set on the mayoral crown. Describing himself as a would-be mayor for the people rather than big businesses, Galloway promises to make public transport free for students, get rid of senior staff at TfL and ‘run Uber out of town’. Vote for him ifÖ you’re worried about black cabs and statement headgear being consigned to London’s past. Vote for him if... you’re worried about black cabs and statement headgear being consigned to London’s past.
Ankit Love, One Love Party
Musician and film producer Love’s ‘techno-progressive’ agenda is positively utopian. It aims ‘to convey a universal message of unity and peace for all of mankind’. Which might sound a bit airy-fairy, but he lays out clear plans to combat air pollution, build a million new state-funded homes and develop a London space programme. Vote for him if... you think space exploration is a priority. #GreatestCityInTheUniverse.
Sophie Walker, Women's Equality Party
The name says it all, really: this non-partisan party is targeting gender bias. The WEP seeks to end the pay gap by extending childcare benefits and flexible working hours. Walker also wants to tackle violence against women head on, from developing new police strategies to dealing with domestic violence and raising awareness of day-to-day harassment on the streets. Vote for her if... you think London is a complacent phallocracy.
Lee Harris, CISTA (Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol)
West London head-shop owner Harris has been blunt when rolling out his key policy. No half-baked measures for him: he wants to see the total legalisation of cannabis sativa, claiming its criminality is a chronic issue because it has led to needless state spending in prosecuting and jailing people. CISTA’s other policies are hazy at best, but only a total dope wouldn’t get behind this guy. Vote for him if... you want to buy those king-sized Rizlas at your local newsagent with a clear conscience.
John Zylinski, Independent
‘Prince John’ is London-born but of East European aristocratic stock, and he’s certainly proud of his heritage: after Nigel Farage made a disparaging remark about Polish people, Zylinski challenged the UKIP leader to a duel – you can see it on YouTube (the challenge, not the duel, which Nige did not accept).
And while it’s very much the city’s Polish community he’s appealing to, the flamboyant sword-brandisher also promises to halve the cost of travel in London and plant one million new trees on the city’s streets. Vote for him if... you like a bit of old-fashioned patriotism, swagger and derring-do. And swords. And loads of trees.
David Furness, British National Party
While the BNP’s profile has diminished in recent years – its candidate came last in the 2012 mayoral election – the party claims to have been rebuilding and modernising. Furness, the party’s west London organiser, has laid out an anti- Islamification agenda, a curb on illegal immigrants and an emphasis on the importance of having a ‘Christian mayor’. Vote for him if... you want to elect someone who quotes poetry by Rudyard Kipling when setting out multicultural policy in twenty-first century London. If…
Paul Golding, Britain First
While Britain First doesn’t have a specific mayoral manifesto, among the policies listed on its website are: a total halt on immigration; abolition of the Human Rights Act; scrapping of the entire foreign aid budget; banning of the word ‘racism’ in the media; and the death penalty for paedophiles, murderers and terrorists. Vote for him if... you enjoy seeing things banned and abolished.
Read more:
✚ Sadiq Khan: 'We're the greatest city in the world – and we're changing for the worse.'
✚ Zac Goldsmith: ''My job is to protect the success we've seen under Boris.'