Motorcyclists bid to be London mayor shot down by borough councils

Prospective London mayoral candidate Jake Willis has been left reeling after his plans to mount a campaign to run for the post were scuppered by the city’s borough councils.

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Willis won an online vote to find a candidate, but was unable to verify signatures from constituents in all 33 of London’s boroughs because some councils failed to supply electoral rolls.

The signatures were a key requirement set out by the London Elects You website, which offered all Londoners a chance to run for mayor by providing the winner of a popular vote with financial backing for a campaign.

“I walked it, taking 51% of the vote,” Willis told MCN, adding that the only stumbling block was a tardy response by some of the borough councils in providing the vital electoral roll numbers to prove the signatures were real.

All of the prospective candidates featured on the website hit the same barrier, meaning none of them could mount a campaign. “It’s democracy in action,” Willis said.