Boris Johnson bucks national trend narrowly beating Ken for London Mayor

Boris Johnson bucked the National Trend, where Conservatives throughout the country were badly mauled in local elections by a resurgent Labour Party, to re-win the position of Mayor of London.

Many believe that Ken Livingstone scored a number of own goals by offending many of his natural supporters, which if he had not would, in all likelihood, have won the election for him.

In the end it wasn't Tory versus Labour it was Ken versus Boris and Boris makes Londoners smile.

Livingstone said in his post-election speech that Labour had done very well throughout the country under Ed Miliband and that this would now be his last political act, but he said that the result may well have sealed the next Conservative leadership election.

The results after second preference votes were counted :-

Johnson - 1,054,811 (82,880 from second preferences)

Livingstone - 992,273 (102,355 from second preferences)

Johnson - 51.53%

Livingstone - 48.47%

The Green party's Jenny Jones did well in 3^rd place as did the very impressive independent candidate Siobhan Benita.  Brian Paddick suffered from the Liberals virtual national "wipe-out."

The far right BNP were humiliated and all but obliterated.