100 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE FOR A MAYOR IN NOBODY'S POCKET

12.01.00am GMT Wed 3rd Mar 2004

The London Assembly Lib Dem team

With just 100 days to go before the London Mayoral elections, Liberal Democrat Mayoral candidate Simon Hughes today called for Londoners to vote for a fresh start for the capital on 10th June.

Speaking from the Horniman Museum in Lewisham on his campaign visit to the Borough, Mr Hughes called on Londoners to make Mr Livingstone a thing of the past. During the visit he highlighted the latest figures that show London 11th out of 15 Western cities in the quality of life league. Only Athens, Milan, Rome and Lisbon were worse.

Simon said:-

"For more than twenty years London has been run by either Mr Livingstone at the GLC, Mr Norris as Minister for London, or Mr Livingstone again as Mayor. Yet residents of our great city have some of the worst quality of life of any of the major Western city.

"There can be no excuses from Mr Livingstone or Mr Norris. It has been their responsibility to make London a better place. They have failed and their rule of London should be consigned to the dustbin of history.

"With just 100 days to go until the London Mayoral elections it is time for people to stand up and be counted. It is time for a Mayor who is in nobody's pocket to fight for a better London.

"It is time for Londoners to vote for a man who is not in the pocket of the unions or a big business like Jarvis.

"London needs a fresh, exciting and dynamic alternative that stops blaming things on past under investment and underperformance and gets on with the job of returning our capital to a truly world class city."

ENDS

Notes to editor

Mr Hughes has launched his latest viral e-advert. This can be found at:-

http://www.2020london.co.uk/libdems/21Reasons.html

The survey for Mercer Human Resource Consulting published on Monday found that London was ranked 11th out of 15 European cities, just above Milan, Rome, Lisbon and Athens.