Lib Dem Voice has polled our members-only forum to discover what Lib Dem members think of the early race for the party presidency, the London mayoral selection, Trident, and the Labour leadership. Over 400 party members have responded, and we’re currently publishing the full results.
LDV asked: The following names have been suggested as possible contenders to take on Boris Johnson for the elected position of Mayor of London. Who would you like to see stand as the Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of London?
- 12% – Lembit Opik
- 11% – Brian Paddick
- 15% – Susan Kramer
- 14% – Caroline Pidgeon
- 26% – Floella Benjamin
- 3% – Other (please state)
- 19% – Don’t know / No opinion
The most popular choice in our sample of party members, then, was newly-ennobled peer, Baroness (Floella) Benjamin, who attracted over a quarter of the vote. A little distance behind was Susan Kramer, currently running to become Lib Dem party president, just ahead of Caroline Pidgeon, leader of the Lib Dems on the GLA. Finally came Lembit Opik and Brian Paddick. Over a fifth of members expressed no opinion.
There is a slight fly-in-the-ointment in this question: it seems neither Floella nor Caroline nor Brian nor Susan are likely to stand; which leaves only Lembit as a declared candidate for the role. As you might expect, the response in respondents’ comments in the survey indicated Lembit’s marmite status — many said they would vote for anyone but Lembit; others said Lembit was the only character big enough to take on the Ken and Boris show for the Lib Dems.
One other candidate has also been mooted this week: Duwayne Brooks, a recently elected councillor in Lewisham, who has long been in the public eye as the friend of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence. He’s bound to face some questions about his experience, but his candidacy will certainly make for an interesting contest among London Lib Dems as the party selects its Mayoral choice.
You can view the results of all our LibDemVoice.org members’ surveys here.
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