Boris Johnson would narrowly lose to Ken Livingstone if the Mayoral elections were held today, a new poll has shown.

The Comres poll released today puts Ken on 37% and Boris on 36%. Once second preferences are taken into account, Ken would win on 51-49%.

The last Mayoral poll conducted by Comres put Boris a long way ahead. and was accompanied by what now looks like a slightly premature headline.

However the details of the polling suggest that Ken Livingstone’s strategy of pinning government cuts on Boris is failing to gain any traction.

Just one in five of those polled said they were less likely to vote for Boris because of the cuts.

The polling also shows that whilst Ken is seen as more competent, Boris is overwhelmingly seen as the more “nice” candidate.

This cuddly public perception of the Mayor is at odds with those who deal with him on a regular basis.

It also suggests that Boris’s decision to go “nasty” so early by launching an attack website could ultimately backfire.

By Adam Bienkov
8:16 AM