Lib Dem Mayoral Candidates
Apoll by Liberal Democrat activist site LibDem Voice has shown members and activists are overwhelmingly against selecting an MP to be the party's next London Mayoral candidate.
Despite the party having a number of well known London MPs 76% of respondents disagreed with the question 'should our next candidate for Mayor of London be an MP?'.
LibDem Voice site manager Rob Fenwick told MayorWatch "while it is perhaps unsurprising that a website dedicated to Lib Dem activists has opted for a candidate from the grassroots, I think there is a sense that the mayoral election is an opportunity for the Liberal Democrats to showcase a lesser-known face to the public."
In 2004 the party selected Bermondsey MP Simon Hughes as their candidate in place of Susan Kramer who represented the party at the first GLA elections in 2000.
Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik says he has no intention of standing to be the party's candidate for mayor of London.
Ed Davey, Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell's chief of staff, prompted the speculation after saying he thought that Mr Opik would make a good mayor.
The Montgomeryshire MP, best known for dating one of the Cheeky Girls, replied that he was "flattered... me, Boris and Ken would be a splendid contest". But he later told the BBC that he had decided against entering the race.
The idea of Mr Opik standing was initially put to Mr Davey in an interview with ePolitix.com.
Mr Davey said: "Lembit is a good friend of mine, I share an office with him, and if he decided to run he would certainly make one of the most interesting candidates in the race.
"Would Lembit make a good mayor? I think that Lembit would make a much better mayor than Boris Johnson or Ken Livingstone."
Later, Mr Opik said: "It's ever so flattering. If I was a London MP I would stand like a shot. The only issue is my constituency is 205 miles away. I think I might go and have a chat with the boss to see what's going on. The momentum seems to be developing a life of its own."
Mr Opik, who has been Lib Dem spokesman on Northern Ireland and Wales, and is currently spokesman on business, has had a long-term interest in the risk to Earth from meteorites. But he has filled many tabloid pages over the past year as a result of the ending of his engagement to weather presenter Sian Lloyd and subsequent relationship with Gabriela Irimia from the Cheeky Girls.
If he were to enter the race the Lib Dems are drawing up a shortlist in September with a final choice expected later in the year.
However he later told the BBC that he did not want to enter the London mayoral race. He said he was "very flattered by the outpouring of affection" to convince him to run, but his first priority was to his Mid-Wales constituency
