Speech to Liberal Democrat Conference

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 23rd Sep 2003

25 years ago in the days of the Greater London Council and before I became an MP I visited a large Irish family in Southwark who lived in a house that they rented from the GLC.

They had been waiting for a move for years, and while they were waiting the state of repair had deteriorated badly, the roof was leaking severely and the house was cold and damp.

Neither London government nor the local council appeared interested in their health, their happiness or their plight. After some months of campaigning and pressure I managed to get them moved. They became, and have remained, my friends.

These were Londoners thoroughly let down by the system. My first visit to that house was one of the things that made me decide to become involved in active politics in London.

Over 20 years I have been privileged to represent and with the community fight and win for the people in my great part of London. We haven't won all the time, but in Southwark and Bermondsey we did win the fight to prevent a world famous hospital from losing all its hospital beds, we won the fight for a new tube line with local stations for local communities, and we won the fight for a new secondary school which has just opened.

Whether it is to reduce noise from aircraft in south west London or stop the loss of open land in Havering, or to lift the threat to the Camden Market and the Electric Ballroom, or to secure the future for athletics in Crystal Palace; Whether it is to make sure the Thames Gateway developments don't replicate the mistakes of Thamesmead or to provide decent play facilities and parks in Brent, Londoners are crying out for people who will listen to them, and fight for them, and work with them and win for them.

That's why a few months ago I decided I would offer myself as Londoners' next Mayor, leading our team to make the maximum impact in the London Assembly and in the European Parliament.

After it's abolition by Mrs Thatcher, Liberal Democrats campaigned energetically for the restoration of London government. And when London government was first restored it was not surprising that Londoners gave the job of the first Mayor of London to the person who had been running the capital before the abolition of the GLC.

But now things can move on.

It is now nearly 4 years later.

Why are so many Londoners ground down, day after day, by the state of our transport system, filthy streets, poor housing, crime, and the threat of crime and choking pollution levels.

Why does the richest part of Britain have to have the highest rate of unemployment of any part of the UK? Why are there so many people without decent, affordable housing - or any housing at all?

Why do we have more than one million recorded crimes every year?

Why is there so much poverty and so much inequality?

Friends, it's time to put the 'great' back into Greater London - for the sake of all it's people.

For anyone who lives in or comes to London, it should be one of the most exciting and dynamic places in the world.

London's Mayor must lead and champion London.

I believe that I have done my apprenticeship - and am ready to be that leader and be that champion.

Londoners of course need more than one champion. London needs its champions in the corridors of Brussels and amongst the Assembly Members in City Hall.

London needs a strong voice, effective leaders .

London now needs a Mayor to build on the strengths of our great capital -and to realise its potential to be again one of the world's greatest cities.

London needs a mayor who will work with Government, not against it, a mayor who will work with other regions in England and Europe and not against them, and a mayor who will build support in other countries and not alienate them.

London needs a mayor who will use his power and influence to put London and not the Mayor of London, first.

It must be a safe place - for its residents, workers, and visitors. That means big reductions in crime and less fear of crime - in every part of London.

London must be a clean place, with real improvement in the quality of the environment. We want clean streets, air that we can breathe with confidence.

London must be an efficient place. People should arrive at work or home or to meet friends on time, without stress, hassle or anger.

London must be a good home, where everyone can find decent accommodation at a price they can afford.

London must be a prosperous city, where all our people and all our communities can share in the wealth that this great metropolis generates.

London must be the most exciting place in the world where shops, sport, music, art, festivals, theatre and public events make us proud of what is the most diverse city on the planet - no matter whether you are white, black or asian, English or Welsh, Scottish or Irish, Chinese, African, Latin American, Caribbean or any other nationality or combination of nationalities, and whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh or Christian or any other faith.

Between now and the end of the year we will complete work on our manifesto.

But let me give some clear statements of my position and intention today.

As Mayor, I will strain every sinew to win the Olympics for London and the cross London rail service to go with it.

I intend to keep a Congestion charge system, but I want to make it more effective, fair and beneficial for London.

I will deliver more effective policing. Let me give you a commitment.

In Southwark, in the last 2 years we have seen the benefit of more police and more neighbourhood wardens. But if Londoners are to be safe from mugging and robbery and hate crime and violence we have still have a hell of a way to go.

My commitment is that every ward- every community in London - will have the minimum of 8 people policing their area, signed up for 4 years, not allowed to be taken away for other duties.

When the people of Barnet and the people of Bromley pay their money for policing I will ensure that they, like the people of Bermondsey and the people of Brent and the people of Brixton, will get a minimum policing guarantee.

This is not a new idea, but it is an idea whose time must come.

If Londoners contribute to the cost of running our city they should see a benefit. Whether you live in Redbridge or Harrow, Richmond or Westminster you should be able to see where your money goes.

This is the time to make something else clear.

Of course I stand before you as the Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate for London. Of course the team I lead will be the Liberal Democrat team for London, but we go into this campaign to reach out to all communities of all political backgrounds and no political backgrounds.

This is not just a campaign for or about Liberal Democrats.

This must be a campaign true to our philosophy and true to our principles where we consult and engage all the people of our city.

We must particularly consult and listen to the young and the old and the disadvantaged, both those with English as a first language and those with other first languages.

Those living in inner London, those living in the leafy suburbs.

One of the tests of our success will be if we persuade hundreds and thousands and tens of thousands of people to vote for us who have never voted before.

I will not be ashamed to stand up for pensioners by a commitment to keep the pensioners Freedom Pass.

I will be energetic in campaigning for young people to make sure they have the play and recreation and sport facilities they need.

In our shop window there will be simple plans which can be achieved at little cost.

I want a London where every street is properly lit, and every street has its name clearly written at all junctions for everyone to see. This could be done quickly, I am sure, with the help of the private sector.

I want every airport and station to be clean and safe and welcoming. And every street should be clean.

And then there are two big things.

There must be a renegotiated financial settlement between London and the rest of the UK. I plan to discuss this with the Chancellor of the Exchequer this autumn.

Let me be clear. I have always accepted that the capital city, the economic motor of the United Kingdom, should make a contribution to the rest of the country. But I am equally clear that for a capital city with so many pockets of deprivation the current redistribution of funds away from London is too great. I shall go into real negotiations with colleagues in Whitehall and Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast to have a new financial settlement.

And this links to the second point.

We must be inventive on how we raise the money for the big projects in our capital city. I am discussing with colleagues a plan to use at least some of the windfall increase in commercial land and property values to pay for the new train line, or tram line, or tube line which will bring about this increase.

London and Londoners must and will pay its national contribution - but those who gain accidentally and disproportionately must pay more. This last Sunday I was at Tower Bridge. Like many others I looked briefly at the illusionist David Blaine in his glass box. Next to him is City Hall.

The sad truth friends are that much of Mr Livingstone's first term gives impression of success, but much of this is an illusion.

Let me give you just one example. Under Mayor Livingstone the number of buses and bus routes has increased - but the books now show a revenue deficit in the transport budget of at least £516million next year.

So there will need to be some hard choices, some tough decisions. I will not shy away from them. And I will tell Londoners like it is. I think that is what people want and deserve.

The old Livingstone legacy of I spend now, you pay later must end. London Government must be good government. Value for money is the key.

Unlike the current Mayor ours will not be a one man campaign.

The current Mayor does not appear to know whether he in Labour or out of Labour. That is his problem.

We are very clear. We are the alternative to more Labour.

Ours is a team which has not only a Mayoral candidate but excellent candidates for the London Assembly. I am determined that Lynne and Sally and Graham and Mike will be joined by Dee Doocey, Caroline Pidgeon and on today's poll ratings many others alongside.

I am determined that Sarah Ludford who has been an exceptional campaigning member of the European Parliament for London will be re-elected and that Jonathan Fryer, John Stevens and hopefully others will join her.

I am not telling you that as of today it is certain that we will win, but I do know the Tories are going nowhere in London.

And I do know that when the shot is fired for the final laps next spring it will be clear that the race will be between the current mayor and his Liberal Democrat challenger.

In Bermondsey nine months before the by-Election we didn't say we would win, but we did say we could win.

In Kingston six months before the 1997 General Election we didn't say we would win, we said we could win.

And in Islington in December 2000, and in Brent in the summer of 2003 we didn't say we would win, we said we could win.

If we work and put across our message and win the hearts and minds, then the workers are the winners.

My message to London today is if we win, you win.

And my message to the Mayor is; it's time to turn again Livingstone. London is about to move beyond our Ken.