Boris Johnson has lost his lead in the London mayoralty race, a poll reveals today.
The survey shows that for the first time more voters say they would vote for Ken Livingstone if there was an election tomorrow. But Mr Johnson could cling to office by winning more second preference votes, the YouGov poll suggests.
The findings throw next year's race wide open. Asked how they would vote if there was an election tomorrow, 45 per cent said Mr Livingstone and 43 Mr Johnson.
This contrasts with the findings of a YouGov survey in October which put the Tory candidate ahead by 46 per cent to 44.
But asked who they would rather have as Mayor - a question which aims to reflect second preferences - Mr Johnson is still in the lead by 45 to 42, though this is smaller than the five-point gap last autumn. The Mayor findings come as Labour's lead in London soared to 16 points. Anthony Wells, associate director of YouGov, said of the mayoral candidates: "They are neck-and-neck and the suggestion is already it's coming down to second preferences."
