Boris Johnson leads Mayoral Race

Anthony WellsHead of European Political and Social Research
March 20, 2012, 1:17 PM GMT+0

Latest London poll shows Boris is ahead in the 2012 mayoral race; Boris leads Ken as public preference by 54% to 46%

Our latest polling on the London mayoral race shows Boris Johnson pulling ahead of Ken Livingstone, progressing from our previous two polls showed the two main candidates effectively neck-and-neck.

  • Today's poll has first preferences of Johnson 49%, Livingstone 41%, Paddick 5%, Others 4%
  • When respondents are asked which of the leading two candidates they would prefer in a forced choice, Boris leads Ken by 54% to 46%

Following a month in which he has faced criticism over his personal tax affairs, there have been significant drops in the public's perceptions of Ken Livingstone.

  • The proportion of people who think he sticks to what he believes in has dropped to 34% (down 6 points)
  • The proportion who see him as in touch with ordinary people is down to 32% (down 5 points)

There has also been a shift in how the public perceive the respective records of the two main candidates. Last month 40% of people thought Ken had achieved more than Boris during his time as mayor with 31% thinking Boris had the better record.

Boris has now closed that gap, with 36% thinking he has achieved more, compared to Ken's 34%.

See the full details of our latest poll here