New poll brings great news for Ken4London
2:58 pm - October 18th 2010
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YouGov’s first polling for the 2012 London mayoral race shows Boris Johnson just narrowly ahead of Ken Livingstone, in contrast to a Comres poll a few weeks ago.
It shows Boris only narrowly ahead on first preferences, by 46% to 44%. That is within the margin of error.
On a forced choice between Johnson and Livingstone, Boris would beat Ken by 46% to 41% with 14% saying don’t know.
The poll also shows that while Boris Johnson has a positive job approval, his predecessor is also seen as having performed well. 58% think Johnson is doing well as Mayor, but 56% think Livingstone did well during his time as Mayor.
On specific measures, Boris has a positive rating on the London buses, crime and the Olympics, but a negative approval on his handling of the tube.
Ken Livingstone has higher ratings than Boris Johnson on both competence, and being in touch with the concerns of ordinary Londoners. His attack on the Coalition’s cuts must be working.
The London poll also found:
• 48% think tube workers should have the right to strike, 40% think they shouldn’t. A solid majority of respondents supported Boris Johnson’s suggestion of minimum turnouts for strike ballots to make strikes harder though (62% support to 22% opposed).
• 70% of respondents thought “Boris bikes” were a good idea, 64% thought it would encourage people to take up cycling and 46% that it will help reduce traffic. 28% of people think that users of “Boris bikes” are a danger to other road users, and 22% think there are too many cyclists on London’s roads already.
In 2008 YouGov was the only company to correctly predict Boris Johnson’s election as London mayor. They correctly projected Johnson to beat Livingstone by 53% to 47%.
Full data here
From a press release
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Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
· Other posts by Sunny Hundal
Story Filed Under: News
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Reader comments
Eh? How exactly are these figures great for Ken? The figures show Boris leading on everything! Can you please explain your logic, Sunny? Thank you.
“46% that it will help reduce traffic”
46% of people are idiots, then. Mind you, that’s the same proportion who prefer Boris, so there you go.
Confused – because firstly their difference is within the margin of error – so they could both be level (but also further apart). But more importantly, that Ken’s perception is not as bad as I feared and that the impact of the cuts has not been felt yet (and Boris will suffer from that).
“But more importantly, that Ken’s perception is not as bad as I feared and that the impact of the cuts has not been felt yet (and Boris will suffer from that)”.
You’re a greater optimist than me. I still don’t see a lowering of arrogance levels in the Ken camp and this poll will probably just reinforce them…
We like YouGov now I see!
cjcjc you must have serious problems reading this site or have highly selective amnesia which crops up like a spasm when you have nothing intelligent to say. We regularly report on YouGov polls – why not do a search at the top?
Then take a lie-down and come back when you have something useful to add. Though, that hasn’t been the case for a while now.
@3 Sunny
“so they could both be level (but also further apart).”
Interesting then that you chose the Ken-friendly MOE to write the headline then. I guess “Boris could be 5% ahead” doesn’t make as good reading.
“Great news” is stretching it. “Ken behind but within striking distance” would perhaps be a more objective view.
It is pretty good news that with the tories still high in the polls and labour only just establishing their long term strategy – Ken is already close before any real campaigning.
All of which seems pretty academic as according to the Beeb Ken has now decided to leave us
@9
Depends what you mean by ‘us’, really. Ken’s always been Ken, and he can win on an independent ticket.
@10
Can he? I wasn’t best pleased with how the Labour party treated Lutfur Rahman in TH but what on earth is Ken doing? Lutfur looked like he was going to win anyway and Ken now sits on the Labour NEC. This is exactly the arrogance I was talking about earlier, Sunny. Is Ken now TRYING to make Labour expel him? And how would they go about expelling an NEC member who has been so blatant? A very big test for Ed Miliband – and one he will be cursing – has now arrived.
Ed has no choice. This is a deliberate provocation. It’s the last straw as far as I’m concerned. We bent the rules for his benefit before. We can’t do it again. Oona was a better candidate anyway.
Oh bugger.
Yes, Sunny. Oh f%^&ing bugger!
Screw him. He would have lost anyway.
Ken and Boris share one characteristic, which is to spend as much time sailing as close to the wind as possible in annoying their Party leadership, without ever quite doing enough to get thrown out.
Watch Ken now maintain that he was in Tower Hamlets not supporting Rahman but protesting the decision to drop him. Note how careful he is to say that as Rahman was stopped from standing, John Biggs was the logical next candidate not Abbas. See how he makes clear that the new NEC under Ed Miliband should look at things afresh.
Ken is basically stirring and reckons the NEC will be obliged to keep on the old tents/pissing dichotomy.
Leopards and spots.
Still, Lab won’t dare ditch KL.
Looking forward to hearing the excuses, though!
“Still, Lab won’t dare ditch KL”.
Who says? Ed Miliband knifed his own flesh and blood. What should be care about Livingstone when Livingstone doesn’t even look like he’ll beat Boris anyway…
Reactions: Twitter, blogs
- Liberal Conspiracy
New polling brings great news for Ken Livingstone http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- Don Paskini
RT @libcon: New polling brings great news for Ken Livingstone http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- sunny hundal
In contrast to other polls, YouGov says Ken vs Boris in London is going to be a very tight race http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- bat020
Livingstone narrowing the gap on Johnson for London mayor, according to latest YouGov poll http://bit.ly/cHDHDB (via @libcon)
- Adam
RT @sunny_hundal: In contrast to other polls, YouGov says Ken vs Boris in London is going to be a very tight race http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- Chris Paul
RT @sunny_hundal: In contrast to other polls, YouGov says Ken vs Boris in London is going to be a very tight race http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- Mario Creatura
1271 polled? 5.5m registered voters in London… RT @sunny_hundal: Ken vs Boris is going to be a tight race http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- Iman Qureshi
RT @sunny_hundal: In contrast to other polls, YouGov says Ken vs Boris in London is going to be a very tight race http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- blindasabat
RT: @libcon: New polling brings great news for Ken Livingstone http://bit.ly/cHDHDB << fantastic piece of spin
- Hazico_Jo
RT @sunny_hundal: In contrast to other polls, YouGov says Ken vs Boris in London is going to be a very tight race http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- Pavitar Mann
RT @sunny_hundal: In contrast to other polls, YouGov says Ken vs Boris in London is going to be a very tight race http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- Abrar
New poll brings great news for Ken4London | Liberal Conspiracy: New poll brings great news for Ken4London. by… http://bit.ly/a2cYX1 #News
- New poll brings great news for Ken4London | Liberal Conspiracy | Scott Ashjian News
[…] more from the original source: New poll brings great news for Ken4London | Liberal Conspiracy Comments […]
- Pucci Dellanno
RT @libcon: New polling brings great news for Ken Livingstone http://bit.ly/cHDHDB
- Tom Johnson
New poll brings great news for Ken4London | Liberal Conspiracy: New poll brings great news for Ken4London. by Sunn… http://bit.ly/cpwDWz
- Chai and News
New poll brings great news for Ken4London | Liberal Conspiracy: New poll brings great news for Ken4London. by Sunn… http://bit.ly/9QYcyg
- Expelling Ken Livingstone would be political suicide for Labour in London | Liberal Conspiracy
[…] Labour NEC, he still retains a lot of popularity within the party and amongst independent voters. Yesterday’s YouGov poll bolstered his case massively as the only Labour candidate who can topple Boris Johnson, and at this […]
- andrew
New poll brings great news for Ken4London | Liberal Conspiracy: Reactions: Twitter, blogs. Liberal Conspiracy. New… http://bit.ly/9UowcX
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