Will London's Lib Dems Support Ken?

Sunder Katwala is General Secretary of the Fabian Society. In a piece for Comment Is Free, he reproduces the following letter sent to all Lib Dem London MPs, Sarah Ludford MEP and Nick Clegg. Will it work? Lib Dems are nothing if not stoutly independent. They're also stoutly liberal, but, you know, what exactly does that word mean?

As you are a Liberal Democrat with a record of support for progressive causes and who represents a London constituency in parliament, I am writing to you as we enter the final month of what looks certain to be the closest London mayoral election campaign that we have seen to date.

Naturally, I know that you will be campaigning and casting your first preference vote for the Liberal Democrat candidate, Brian Paddick. Many people outside the Liberal Democrats will agree that Brian is running a serious and creditable campaign, particularly on the issue of crime.

However, the London elections also give every voter a second-preference vote. Such a preferential voting system for an elected mayor was strongly advocated by the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties. This is particularly welcomed as a sign of progress by those of us within the Labour Party who are pushing the government to be bold in its ambitions for a new constitutional settlement. I am among those to publicly advocate that this should include a written constitution, an elected upper house and electoral reform for the Commons.

I know that one of the Liberal Democrats' central arguments over many years for constitutional change and electoral reform is that this would encourage a pluralist politics and a grown-up political culture where parties can retain different beliefs and policies but cooperate where they have shared views and interests. So I think it would be natural to expect that you will want to use every opportunity afforded by the mayoral election to demonstrate the benefits of a pluralist approach to politics.

I am therefore writing to ask:

Firstly, whether you intend to use your own second-preference vote in the election and, if so, whether you will be communicating your decision to your constituents and the broader public.

Secondly, whether you would be willing to publicly call on Liberal Democrats in your constituency and across London to cast a second-preference for the current mayor, as a progressive insurance policy against Boris Johnson being elected mayor of London, while also calling on Labour supporters in your constituency who have decided to cast a first-preference for the Labour candidate to give their second preference to Brian Paddick.

Naturally, I anticipate that you will be campaigning hard for Brian Paddick as he seeks to finish in the top two candidates on the first ballot and win the mayoralty.

However, if he were to fall short of that goal, there is strong evidence that Liberal Democrat second preferences could well prove decisive in deciding who is Mayor.

Given the importance of second-preference votes in a close election, several other candidates and parties are now deciding how they will approach this issue. The Green Party has collectively decided to recommend a second preference for Ken Livingstone. The BNP has called on its members to cast a second preference for Boris Johnson (though the Conservative candidate has said he does not want their support), while Johnson's strong record of Euroscepticism means he will appeal strongly to UKIP voters.

As the influence of the smaller parties may broadly cancel each other out, this will increase the potential for Lib Dem influence of the outcome. Leading LibDem voices like yourself are well placed to influence debate among significant numbers of your party members and constituents who will be deciding how to use their own votes. However, if London's Lib Dem MPs and other senior voices do not offer a lead, the likely outcome of sitting on the fence is that Lib Dem second preferences will divide equally enough to see Boris Johnson elected as mayor by the back door.

While Labour and the Liberal Democrats have several legitimate policy differences about London's future, the current mayor has a creditable record on several key Liberal Democrat concerns - notably the environment and climate change, public transport, child poverty and inequality in London - which few would expect the Conservative candidate, Boris Johnson, to match were he elected mayor.

I hope that you will choose to use your potentially decisive influence in this election to minimise the chances of Boris Johnson being elected as the Conservative mayor of London. I would be interested to hear from you about the choice you will make.

Comments

[Brian Paddick]

Why should Liberal Democrats urge their supporters to vote Ken Livingstone second preference when Ken Livingstone is urging Labour supporters to vote Green second preference?