Newly elected Camden Labour councillor predicts Ken Livingstone defeat
The newly elected Labour councillor for Camden Town & Primrose Hill has predicted Boris Johnson will win the mayoral contest.
Lazzaro Pietragnoli said he be thought the mayoral results “will be the reverse of the council vote” with the Tory incumbent topping the poll and Ken Livingstone coming second.
He said: “People were voting differently for the by-election and Mayoral election. I think Boris will be top and Ken Livingstone and Brian Paddick will be lower down.
“From what we heard knocking on doors on the day, I think the results will be the reverse of the council vote.”
Mr Pietragnoli, 42, said that if his prediction proves true, Camden Council will have lost a “key ally” in the fight against the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail link.
The rail route threatens to wreak a decade of disruption to residents in Gloucester Avenue and Primrose Hill, and will condemn hundreds of homes to be bulldozed in Euston and Regent’s Park.
He said: “Ken would have been an ally in the fight against HS2, Boris won’t be. Having someone like Ken, who has a different plan for HS2, would force the government and HS2 to rethink the overall plan.
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“Maybe in the end they wouldn’t accept it, but they would have been forced to at least re-think it.
“Boris is too focused on the impact on west London, he hasn’t put any emphasis on Camden’s problems.
“Camden Council would have a better ally in Ken, not just because he is Labour, but because of his overall vision for an HS2 alternative.”
Mr Pietragnoli was declared the new Camden Town and Primrose Hill councillor this morning after receiving 1,847 votes – more than 1,000 votes ahead of nearest rival Conservative candidate Nigel Rumble, who received 823 votes.
