As expected, Zac Goldsmith will be the Conservative candidate for mayor of London in next year's election.
The MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston won an open primary — much like the much trumpeted one that Labour ran, except without the trumpeting — with 70% of the vote. What his policies will be, beyond opposing Heathrow expansion, aren't yet terribly clear; he's currently running surveys on his website to get the opinions of Londoners. On the one hand, it's a good thing to be guided by the wants and needs of the people he's hoping to represent. On the other, it doesn't help us get a sense of what the man actually believes, and how he might react to major decisions that could cross his desk.
On housing, he advocates building on publicly owned brownfield land and ringfencing the money raised from Right to Buy sales from London, for London. He isn't making attention grabbing, and ultimately unrealistic, promises to slash transport fares, though does recognise the need to "bear down on the cost of travel". On crime, he says he would lobby for a "fair deal" on police funding and his environment concerns rightly focus on air pollution.
So there we have it: all five major parties have selected their candidates. Let battle commence...
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