It's two months until we get to vote for a new mayor and Assembly Members. If you haven't been paying attention, we're here to keep you up to date.
They said what?
We're sorry to have to put this image into your mind, but Zac Goldsmith told Pink News he wants to be "pansexual for London". Zac, we know you made a baby a few months ago and the Conservatives are putting much faith in people going weak at the knees for your blond good looks; but put it away, there's a good chap.
Elsewhere, Goldsmith pledged a load of upgrades to the tube network. Except... quite a lot of it is already in the works.
We're not alone in finding some of the attacks on Sadiq Khan offensive, to say the least. Tory Defence Secretary Michael Fallon was this week wheeled out to say that Khan "speaks alongside extremists", following up last month's Standard 'expose' about the Labour candidate's former brother-in-law who did some dodgy things in the 90s that he now repudiates. Trying to slur Khan, who is Muslim, as an extremist by association is a low blow — especially when actual Muslim extremists issued threats against him for voting for equal marriage.
Caroline Pidgeon has been out and about campaigning against the Garden Bridge — see for yourself in an interview she did with LBC. She told last week's Greener London hustings that the £60m of public money would be better spent on parks. (Both Zac and Sadiq are pro-bridge.)
Green candidate Sian Berry has been promising that if she's elected, she'll make half the Met's new recruits women and protect launderettes.
The Women's Equality Party is asking women to write the postcode or place in London where they've experienced sexual harassment, assault or verbal abuse and tweet it with the hashtag #WEcount. The points are being loaded onto a map to highlight the extent of sexual violence and abuse of women in the capital.
UKIP's Peter Whittle is "the only London mayoral candidate talking about immigration". There may be a reason for that.
Want to hear them yourself?
Free debates and hustings are happening all over town, for anyone to attend:
- The National Union of Teachers hosts a debate about education in the capital on 7 March.
- Can't go anywhere in person? The Brent and Kilburn Times is hosting an online hustings from 6pm on 7 March. Which is the same time as the NUT hustings, so, erm...
- Planning Futures' debate has sold out (and wasn't free anyway) but Zac Goldsmith will be chatting about development on 10 March.
- If you rent, you should definitely mark 29 March in your diary for the Generation Rent debate at Conway Hall.
- Register for the Centre for London/Evening Standard debate on 21 April at Guildhall — this will be popular, so you'll be notified when tickets are available.
Odds
Last week we saw Ladbrokes's odds, this week it's Paddy Power ranking the various candidates with these numbers:
- Sadiq Khan 1/3
- Zac Goldsmith 9/4
- George Galloway 50/1 (really, Paddy Power? Really?)
- Sian Berry, Caroline Pidgeon and Peter Whittle 100/1
They're also offering Sandi Toksvig at 150/1 and she isn't even running. Maybe they mean Sophie Walker, who is the actual candidate for the Women's Equality Party, which Toksvig helped found.
