Londoners undecided on choice for mayor
By Oliver Hotham
Londoners are yet to decide on a clear favourite to win May's mayoral elections, a new poll suggests.
Conducted by Ipsos Mori, the poll asked potential voters to identify which candidate they thought more competent on a variety of issues including the economy, crime, and public transport.
On the economy Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone only received 27% approval respectively, with 40% of voters saying they did not know which candidate was better on the issue. The candidates were also fairly even on crime.
But on transport Boris holds a small lead over Ken, indicating the "Ken's Fare Deal" campaign may not have had as big of an impact on the voters as his campaign hoped.
"While policies are of course important, it may well be the individual and how they motivate their supporters to turn out that decides this election," Ipsos Mori's deputy head of political research Tom Mludzinsk said.
"While each candidate has their strengths and weaknesses, both on policies and personal characteristics, this poll shows that the race for mayor of London is extremely close with plenty of Londoners still open to persuasion either way."
Overall the results indicate that voters prefer Boris as a person, saying he is more likable and a better ambassador for London, but prefer Ken as a politician, saying he would be better in a crisis and has a better grasp of the details.
The voters also expressed scepticism at how trustworthy the candidates were, with the same proportion of Londoners (30%) saying they are trustworthy.
One in five Londoners thinks that neither candidate is trustworthy.
