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Livingstone and Johnson on offensive in final week

28/04/2008

London mayoral candidates Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson have been focusing on their core issues as election week gets underway.

Incumbent mayor Ken Livingstone is attacking Conservative challenger Boris Johnson's transport policies as Mr Johnson focuses his attention on crime in the capital.

A survey released today for the Back Boris campaign shows 85 per cent of Londoners think Labour's government and mayor have not done enough to tackle gun and knife crime in London.

With 43 per cent of those polled thinking they or their families were in "immediate danger", Mr Johnson alleges Mr Livingstone's anti-crime measures have not gone far enough.

"London needs a mayor who takes crime seriously," he said.

"Ken Livingstone claims that Londoners feel safer - this just isn't true. He obviously isn't listening to them."

Among the measures contained in the former Tory frontbencher's crime manifesto are pledges to introduce 1,700 additional officers on to the streets and more knife arches and handheld scanners.

Mr Livingstone plans to use his final week to concentrate on the £39 billion transport investment programme planned for London in the next ten years.

He says he has been consistently right on a range of transport policies, including his opposition to failed Tube maintenance firm Metronet, his backing for Crossrail and improvements to London's bus system.

Mr Livingstone commented: "These are the biggest financial choices in London and on all of them Boris Johnson supported completely the wrong decision on issues so large they would have hit every Londoner in their wallet or purse."