Sadiq Khan or Susan Hall? God help us all!

 Did you watch the news last night? I did. The big story was HS2 and the Tory conference. First up we had Conservative Mayor of Birmingham Andy Street, making the case for HS2, in open opposition to what everyone knows his party leader Rishi Sunak is planning. I have to say I was impressed. This was a grown up politician, doing his job eloquently. Here is a tweet he put out

I wasn’t expecting this in Manchester, but I won’t let HS2 go without a fight.

The offer to the PM is there - work with me and the private sector, grip the costs, and build Britain’s future. pic.twitter.com/JYBdkbGxHS

— Andy Street (@andy4wm) October 2, 2023

It was refreshing to see a politician doing his job properly. Next up was Manchesters Labour Mayor, Andy Burnham. Again, he was making grown up points, rather well. He urged Rishi Sunal to at least have a conversation with the Tory Mayor of Birmingham, even if he won't speak to him. I was left thinking that both Birmingham and Manchester have competent Mayors, who are capable of making coherent arguments. 

The next slot featured the Tory Mayoral hopeful for London Susan Hall. Watching and listening to Susan is like watching a car crash in slow motion. Whilst the two Andy's gave a masterclass in how to be a credible regional politician, Susan struggled to even say which party she was a member of

Your next Labour, sorry erm Conservative Mayor of London. Lord help ushttps://t.co/BaK48G3Rfz

— Roger Tichborne/Rog T (@Barneteye) October 3, 2023

Later on, speaking at the Conservative Friends of Israel, she made some highly inflammatory comments about Sadiq Khan's relationship with the London Jewish community. This prompted the British Board of Deputies to issue the following statement.

Throughout his tenure as Mayor,@SadiqKhan has treated our community with friendship & respect.

We hope to co-host the key Mayoral candidates at a 2024 Jewish hustings, where it will be clear that while London Jews may have varying political views, there is no fear present at all https://t.co/m7kWH0D4vb

— Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) October 2, 2023

I find it appalling that a candidate has put the Board in this position. I've listened to several interviews with Susan Hall and it is hard to sum up how undrwhelmed I am with her. It strikes me as truly bizarre that the Conservatives have chosen such a lightweight and incompetent candidate. The more we see, the worse it gets. It is clear to me that Sadiq Khan has alienated many Londoners with policies such as ULEZ. A credible Tory candidate would have a very real chance of winning, which may well give the Tories a huge pre general election boost. Only the most passionate Labour supporters I know still have faith in Khan. That the Tories have chosen someone who seems to have no policies and no personality is odd to say the least. Susan Hall's policy on ULEZ is to abolish the extension. Given that by the time of the next election, most Londoners will have got rid of their non compliant cars, it is far too late. The horse bolted, the stable has been redeveloped, but she still wants to shut the door. It is mad. I have been a vocal critic of the ULEZ, but her policy is idiotic.

Then we have Sadiq Khan. When I compare him with the likes of Burnham and Street, it becomes clear that he is simply not up to the job. Whilst we can all imagine Burnham and Street having sensible conversations over HS2, working to the mutual advantage of their regions, you feel Khan would rather gargle with battery acid than be civil to Conservatives, even when it would be beneficial to London. When we elect a Mayor of London, I want a good administrator, who keeps the buses and tubes running, who is a great frontman for London and who works across party lines for the benefit of our city. Ken Livingstone was happy to work with Tory sports spokesman Seb Coe to secure the Olympics. Sensible cost saving measures such as Oyster cards were brought in. Boris Johnson worked with the then Labour government, to ensure the Olympic infrastructure was built. He also championed Crossrail, which has transformed travel in London. Sadiq Khan seems to be permanently at war with central government. I get that we've not had great government over the last few years, but the likes of Burnham have shown what you can achieve if you are reasonable. 

My advice to the Tories would be to get Hall to stand down as a matter of urgency and get a big hitter in to do the job. If they had someone who at least appeared competent and didn't play dog whistle politics, they'd have a chance. If they don't, they deserve to lose. As for Labour, Khan is the incumbent. If the Tories stick with Hall, we've got another four years of him. No dount, he'll put this down to his brilliance, rather than the fact that the Tories have lost the plot. God help us all. 

 

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