LONDON — An eccentric Conservative lawmaker with a knack for offensive remarks ousted the left-wing mayor of London on Friday in an upset that capped the ruling Labor Party’s worst local election showing in four decades.
Boris Johnson defeated Ken Livingstone in Labor’s first test at the polls since then-Prime Minister Tony Blair last year handed the reins to Gordon Brown, who has since been dogged by accusations of indecision and incompetence.
Brown humbly pledged to heed the scathing verdict from voters, who cast ballots for opposition candidates in more than 300 municipal council races.
Conservative leader David Cameron said his party’s strong gains in the capital and in a longtime weak spot in northern England represented a key moment on the path to ousting Brown at the next national election, to be held before mid-2010.
Johnson, a former magazine editor, becomes the first Conservative to hold a high-profile national post since his party’s overwhelming 1997 national election defeat.
“I do hope it shows that the Conservatives have changed into a party that can again be trusted,” Johnson said shortly after the result was announced.
Johnson praised his rivals and paid tribute to Livingstone’s role in guiding London through the 2005 transit-network bombings.
“Let’s have a drink tonight, and let’s get cracking tomorrow,” Johnson told supporters, who cheered in delight.
Livingstone, a staunch leftist who courted Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, said the blame for his defeat must rest at his door, not Brown’s.
Johnson’s first key test is likely to hinge on how he handles relations with China. As mayor, he will be expected to attend at least part of the Beijing Olympics. London will host the Summer Olympics in 2012.
