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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Dyke rules out London mayor bid | Dyke rules out London mayor bid |
| (24 minutes later) | |
| Ex-BBC director-general Greg Dyke has said he considered running for London mayor but has decided against it. | Ex-BBC director-general Greg Dyke has said he considered running for London mayor but has decided against it. |
| He revealed he had been approached by the Conservatives but would only consider standing as an independent with Lib Dem and Tory backing. | |
| Mr Dyke said he liked "throwing ideas around" and that he wanted to "break the mould" in next year's election. | |
| The Lib Dems say they turned down a Tory approach to field him as a joint candidate. The Tories confirmed this. | |
| Mr Dyke said he thought he would lose to current mayor Ken Livingstone, who had done "not that bad a job". | Mr Dyke said he thought he would lose to current mayor Ken Livingstone, who had done "not that bad a job". |
| 'Hadn't agreed' | 'Hadn't agreed' |
| He added: "I like throwing ideas around and my idea was 'can we break the mould of politics' and I think probably not." | He added: "I like throwing ideas around and my idea was 'can we break the mould of politics' and I think probably not." |
| Mr Dyke said the "only way" he could have won was to stand as an independent candidate with an agreement between the Tories and Lib Dems. | Mr Dyke said the "only way" he could have won was to stand as an independent candidate with an agreement between the Tories and Lib Dems. |
| David Cameron is an admirer of Greg Dyke and was aware he was interested in running Tory spokesman | |
| But he "hadn't agreed to do it", even if the parties had come to an arrangement, he added. | |
| Mr Dyke, a former Labour supporter, resigned from the BBC in 2004, following the publication of the Hutton report into the death of weapons inspector Dr David Kelly. | Mr Dyke, a former Labour supporter, resigned from the BBC in 2004, following the publication of the Hutton report into the death of weapons inspector Dr David Kelly. |
| He is an opponent of the Iraq war and has been outspoken about his treatment by Labour ministers. | He is an opponent of the Iraq war and has been outspoken about his treatment by Labour ministers. |
| 'Liberal city' | 'Liberal city' |
| Lib Dem chief of staff Ed Davey said the Tory proposal had been "very odd", and may have been against the party's rules. | Lib Dem chief of staff Ed Davey said the Tory proposal had been "very odd", and may have been against the party's rules. |
| He said Mr Cameron had proposed the idea of a joint candidate to face Labour incumbent Ken Livingstone in a meeting with Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell on Wednesday. | |
| Mr Davey said: "The people of London should have a full democratic choice on next year's mayoral elections. David Cameron's proposal would have denied that." | |
| He added: "There are many problems with Ken Livingstone's performance as Mayor, but the way to defeat him is not to have an 'anyone-but-Ken' candidate, it is to win the argument over issues that matter to the capital. | He added: "There are many problems with Ken Livingstone's performance as Mayor, but the way to defeat him is not to have an 'anyone-but-Ken' candidate, it is to win the argument over issues that matter to the capital. |
| "London is increasingly a liberal city and the people of London deserve a liberal choice for mayor." | "London is increasingly a liberal city and the people of London deserve a liberal choice for mayor." |
| But he told Sky News: "If Greg Dyke wants to be the Liberal Democrat candidate and puts himself forward, I'm sure he stands a very good chance of getting himself elected." | But he told Sky News: "If Greg Dyke wants to be the Liberal Democrat candidate and puts himself forward, I'm sure he stands a very good chance of getting himself elected." |
| 'Strong field' | |
| A Conservative spokesman said Mr Cameron had been talking to Mr Dyke about a possible mayoral bid and other issues for the past five months. | |
| He denied the episode showed the Conservatives were "desperate" to find a well known candidate to take on Mr Livingstone. | |
| "We have got a very strong field of candidates. There are some very serious contenders out there. You don't have to be well-known to be a strong candidate," the spokesman added. | |
| But he said when "somedody of Greg Dyke's calibre" said they were interested, they had to be taken seriously. | |
| The Conservatives plan to push ahead with a series of "open primaries" postponed from last year and will be announcing a timetable for them in the next few days. | |
| The winner would be "well-known" by the end of the primary process, which was compared by the party to TV talent show X-factor when it was unveiled last year. | |
| The Conservatives have reportedly been turned down by a string of potential high-profile candidates including London Olympics supremo Lord Coe, radio presenter Nick Ferrari and former Metropolitan Police chief Lord Stevens. | The Conservatives have reportedly been turned down by a string of potential high-profile candidates including London Olympics supremo Lord Coe, radio presenter Nick Ferrari and former Metropolitan Police chief Lord Stevens. |