Boris Johnson webchat, TODAY, Mon 16 Apr, 11.30am-12.30pm

[FrancesMumsnet]

In the run up to the London Mayoral elections in May, we're very pleased to announce that Boris Johnson will be joining us for a webchat on Monday 16th April from 11.30am to 12.30pm. In May 2008, Boris was elected the first Conservative Mayor of London. He was the MP for Henley-on-Thames from 2001 to 2007, and held the posts of Vice Chairman, Shadow Minister for the Arts and Shadow Minister of Higher Education.

Do please join us for the webchat. Boris is keen to hear your views and to answer your questions. As ever, if you can't make it, please post up your advance questions here.
Thanks, MNHQ

Hi Boris. Thanks for coming on here. I think you've been a pretty good Mayor of London over the last 4 years and loved your column in the Telegraph a few weeks back explaining how your approach to the new Routemaster bus epitomised your general approach to cutting waste.

My question is this: given that you have shown yourself to be highly capable of governing at the highest level now, when are you going to launch your bid to take over from David Cameron? Although I liked him at first, he's proven to be nothing more than a lightweight when it comes to being Prime Minister. The recent Budget cock-ups on everything from pensioners to pasties to charity tax underline this. We need a conviction politician to lead this country and I reckon you'd fancy a shot at it - so come on Boris, tell us what your plan is?

Delighted to say that Boris is in the Towers and will be getting going in a minute.

Hi everyone this is Boris Johnson here looking forward to taking part... I should say that everyone says this is the single most difficult thing I will do in this campaign and that I have been advised to pull out!

@strangerwithmyface

Are you a feminist Boris?

Yes

HELLO BORIS

If you were to take over as leader of the conservatives and then PM who would you get to replace George Osborne as chancellor? Just hypothetically...

Oooh, he's a latecomer...

@heliumballoon

Also this is a comment rather than a question. Just to observe that by replacing bendy buses with routemasters, it effectively halved the space on the bus for buggies. Which means I can regularly no longer get on the number 29 bus with my children. I know it's a small thing compared with employment, childcare, infrastructure, policing etc but it annoys me a lot!

I am very sorry to hear this and I will get on to TFL immediately...All drivers are told to be as buggy-friendly as possible and we will see what we can do to sort out the space problem. One thing I won't do is bring back the bendy, which not only blocked the traffic and was a menace to cyclists - it was also a fare evader's paradise. We lost £7.4 m a year through dodging on the bendies alone...

@ConferencePear

I haven't heard any of the candidates even mention London's role as this country's capital city. How does Boris see that role developing? At the moment London seems more remote to me than it has ever done in my life.

I see London playing a pivotal role in leading the country out of recession. We have a huge responsibility to create the jobs and growth that will benefit the whole country. But in order to do that it is critical we keep investing. Some argue for an approach that cuts back investment, but I think that would be a disaster for our city. How can we accommodate new jobs if we can?t physically squeeze more people into the tube, or if we don?t build more homes? How can we attract international companies, who bring shed loads of jobs with them, if quality of life is poor? These are the challenges that London faces, and if elected, I will meet them head on by maintaining investment, getting a better deal from the Government and arguing for London to keep more of the money it raises.

BORIS why are you not in favour of realistic transport fares for londoners? And why does london the most expensive travel cost in the world and who is profiting at our expense?

Is there an urban myth about London that gets you riled?

Mine is that all Londoners are unfriendly. It just isn't true and I think the people's army of broomsweepers after last years riots shows what we're made of.

@TheBlackShiksa

Hi Boris, what do you think about your main rival Ken Livingstone's comments about London's Jewish community? Do you feel he was sincere in his apology or do you think he is a divisive force in London. What will you do as Mayor and what have you done to ensure London's different faith communities and groups rub together nicely?

London is the most diverse city on earth. We have more than 300 languages spoken on our streets. There are more than 150 nationalities, and it is hardly surprising that we hear the echoes of global intercommunal tensions and disputes. But it is emphatically NOT the job of the Mayor to play up those tensions, or to play one group off against another. The Mayor is there to serve all Londoners - and to celebrate a spirit of unity in diversity. The great thing about Eid or Diwali or St Patrick's day, or whatever festivity we are supporting, is that you will find Trafalgar Square full of people from all sorts of backgrounds who are just there for the fun or the craic or whatever. And the best way to promote harmony is to improve the lives of all Londoners - investing in the transport network, cutting crime, building more affordable housing, creating the platform for sustained growth in employment.

@zany

Hi Boris,

Figures published on the MET website state that in the last 12 months in London we had more than a 100 murders, more than 3,000 rapes, more than 30,000 robberies etc. Given the proposed cuts to the MET force, the already stretched judicial and prison services; how are you going to effectively tackle crime in London and bring these numbers down within these contraints?

Thanks Zany

This has been a tough time for the London economy but i am very proud that crime is down across the board by more than 10 per cent. Robbery is down by 16 per cent against the previous four year period and murder (a very difficult figure to fudge) is down by a quarter. Bus crime is down by more than a third, and I remember how much of an issue that was in the 2008 campaign. My job has been to get the funding from government to keep police numbers high, and we will have more than a thousand extra officers at the end of this four year term than there were at the beginning -- plus we are now putting 2000 more in the safer neighbourhood teams. My no 1 priority is to keep making London safer and one of the safest big cities on earth...and I can guarantee that we will keep police numbers high and keep police out on the street where we want to see them

@McFluffster

I love you Boris. Would you be willing to turn your back on your party so that we could marry?

Very kind of you but I am married!

Hi Boris!
When I was little girl I was dreaming about meeting my prince and about our wedding day and happy ever after!
Nowadays ,marriage isn't so important and it looks like it is much better to be Alon parent. what do you think about it? Why it is so? Why married couples with middle incomes live worst than single mums?

As a Londoner I was stunned when you were so slow to respond to the riots last summer. What measures have been taken to prevent the same situation - both in terms of the riots and your response - never happen again?

@BupcakesandCunting

Oooh, he's a latecomer...

No he wasn't late - we just got a bit carried away chatting... my fault really.

@justice4all

BORIS why are you not in favour of realistic transport fares for londoners? And why does london the most expensive travel cost in the world and who is profiting at our expense?

Thanks justice4all

We are coping with decades of underinvestment in our transport network and I will not make promises that I cannot keep. The best way forward for London now is to maintain the investment programme that will enable us to modernise our networks, take out cost and then hold down fares in a way that is honest and sustainable.

I would point out that my opponent has repeatedly promised to cut or freeze fares and then flagrantly broken that promise once he is in office. With two and a bit weeks to go in this election, he has yet to come clean with Londoners: where is the money coming from to pay for his latest promise?

You can bet your life on this: my programme has a better chance of holding fares down in the medium term than his short term and unfunded commitments.

Boris,

Considering the fact that (reported) homophobic crime has risen in London at alarming rates over the past several years, why do you seem to have made no recorded promises to LGBT londoners in your manifesto so far and, as mayor, what would you do to ensure the diversity of our city and communities is preserved and help LGBT people be and feel safe?

@wheeler

Boris - about violence against women in London.

Your administration introduced the under reported and excellent 'The Way Forward' london-wide strategy on ending violence against women. I want to know:

1. What will you do to further improve the initial police response to reports of rape, domestic violence, and all forms of violence against women. It's this 1st response that really matters but too often it's still poor and women end up not seeing a report thru to prosecution..

1. Your manifesto mentions specific action on FGM and honour based violence. Really good. Will you match ken's commitment to tackle sexual harassment in public places in London?

1. There has been criticism of your youth mentoring scheme for failing to take girls' needs into account. Are you committed to ensuring all serious youth violence work includes girls' needs from scratch?

1. Finally, your deputy kit malthouse spoke at a women's hustings last week (EVAW Coalition) and when asked about prostitution gave a strong answer on its inherently abusive nature and some measures mayor-gla can take. But he also said national debate is needed to look at law. Do you agree?

Thanks.

1. The police have been sent a very clear message from our violence against women strategy ? the first time London has had one. Now that City Hall has been given powers to set police priorities through the Mayor?s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPC), we can do more to change attitudes. That?s not to criticize the police, I?ve been very impressed with the new Commissioner?s attitude to crimes against women. Part of the recent rise in rape statistics is that victims feel more confident in coming forward, and I don?t mind taking the political flak for that if it means a greater likelihood of justice being done. It?s why I funded three new Rape Crisis Centres (and will continue to fund them if elected), so that victims are supported all the way from the initial reporting to giving evidence in court. I know the police find it incredibly frustrating when a case fails because the victim doesn?t want to testify ? we can increase prosecutions if we can support victims through that trauma.

On domestic violence, we found that alcohol plays a huge part in many cases. That?s why I successfully lobbied the Government to introduce a compulsory sobriety trial. It means violent drunks are forced to wear a special bracelet that measures the level of alcohol in their blood. If they drink, they are ordered to return to prison. International experience shows it works to bring down re-offending rates, and if elected I will expand the scheme.

1. I felt it was really important to make specific mention of female genital mutilation and so called ?honour? crimes (which could not be further from the meaning of the word) in my manifesto. These crimes have remained hidden under the surface for too long, and as Mayor I wanted to make a stand. They are barbaric and have no place in our city. Yes, I believe all candidates should share a determination to tackle sexual harassment in public places. That?s why I put 697 more police on public transport and banned drinking the tube. It?s why I will continue to argue against any attempt to cut the transport budget, because funding a greater uniformed presence on the system (especially at night) is vital in protecting women from sexual harassment and other crime.

1. The mentoring scheme has been criticized, but I make no apology for attempting to deal with this difficult problem. When I got in, there was no mechanism for dealing with those kids who were making catastrophic choices and getting involved with gangs and knives. We must never forget there was a time when we were seeing a teenager die on our streets virtually every week. The work we?ve done has helped cut that number by half. But one is too many, which is why you need to do more than just have more police. You need to intervene in those lives as early as you can to prevent them taking the wrong turn.

It?s true that the mentoring scheme is aimed at black boys ? as that is where the biggest problems are. But I?m happy to think about how we can include girls too. And I agree that we need to take into account girls? needs when we come up with policy to tackle youth violence. Not least because girls get drawn into gangs too, and they are often at great risk of becoming victims of sexual violence in what are very macho and misogynistic environments.

Ah, you md a schoolgirl error in specifying marriage, McFluffster. Bigamy's orf, even for the mayor. Should have lowered yr sights to 'have yr secret love-child &c'?

@ohmeohmy

How can the billions being spent on the olympics be justified given the appalling state of the economy and how much ordinary people are suffering under this coalitions draconian policies?

It?s a big investment, but we expect a return for that. We?re not just building sports venues, we?re building homes, schools and businesses in a part of London long neglected. In the construction alone, 10,000 jobs will be provided. 11,000 new homes will be created.

We too often forget that east London used to be the powerhouse of the London economy. When the docks went, so did many of the jobs. Canary Wharf provided part of the solution, and now the Olympic development that will be there after the Games will provide the other part.

On my watch, the Olympics has not been a blank cheque. We?ve brought the Olympic facilities in on time and under budget. If elected, I will make sure that every penny spent on the legacy will be published online, so Londoners can see where the money is being spent and hold me to account.

@Isaidhangonamin

Is there an urban myth about London that gets you riled?

Mine is that all Londoners are unfriendly. It just isn't true and I think the people's army of broomsweepers after last years riots shows what we're made of.

Yes i saidhangonamin

I tell you what gets my goat...It's the suggestion that delays on the tube are getting worse when we all know (because TFL tells me) that delays have been cut by 40 per cent in the last four years and we can cut them by a further 30 per cent in the next four years. But the best way to do this is to modernise, to automate, and to put in the new track and signalling that Londoners need - and that means not cutting vital investment now