Serious About Winning - Hughes Wants To Be Next Mayor Of London

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 22nd Jan 2003

Leading Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes has announced that he has decided to go full speed ahead to secure his party's nomination as candidate to be the next Mayor of London.

He had long been expected to stand to be Deputy Leader of his party instead.

"Ken knows the score. If I get my party's support, he really has got a serious contest on his hands. I believe I can reach out to supporters of all political parties, but especially to those who are usually turned off by the whole political process," said Hughes at a Westminster press conference.

The MP celebrates 20 years in Parliament next month after his post war record-breaking by-election win in 1983.

He has been providing effective opposition to the Government as his party's shadow Home Secretary, with a principled but practical stand on asylum, immigration and criminal justice issues.

Hughes has come under intense lobbying from party members across London as well as people outside of the party after a sensational pre-Christmas opinion poll.

After allowing his name to go forward for the party's shortlist, the Evening Standard poll showed that if Hughes were the party's candidate, he would make the contest a genuine three-way battle before he had even hit the campaign trail. If they were the candidates, the poll showed that turn of the year voting intentions were

• Livingstone (33%)

• Norris (27%)

• Hughes (24%)

• Gavron (10%)

• Johnson (3%)