Huge loss for U.K.'s Labour in local elections

updated 8:23 p.m. ET May 2, 2008

LONDON - An eccentric opposition Conservative lawmaker was elected as London's new mayor Saturday, heaping gloom on Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose first test at the polls has brought his party's worst local election results in four decades.

After a decade-long wait to become his party's leader, Brown — dogged by accusations of dithering and incompetence — was forced to make a humble pledge to heed the scathing verdict from voters after his party lost London's City Hall and more than 300 municipal council seats.

His main political foe, opposition Conservative Party chief 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.

No Conservative victory was more symbolic than in London, where former magazine editor Boris Johnson defeated Labour's incumbent Ken Livingstone.

First high-profile post since '97
Johnson becomes the first Conservative to hold a high-profile national post — controlling a budget of billions and charged with planning for the 2012 Olympics — since his party's thumping 1997 national election defeat by Labour, then led by Tony Blair.

Cameron hopes to be next and will square off against Brown in a national poll before mid-2010.

"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 offered lavish praise for 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 as the results were announced.

An emotional Livingstone, the city's first ever elected mayor and in control since 2000, insisted the blame for his defeat must rest at his door, not Brown's.

Johnson's clownish charm
Usually uncombed and commonly unguarded, Johnson is best known for his wit — aired on frequent TV panel show appearances — but also for offending minority communities with unwise comments.

However, his clownish charm means many have forgiven his indiscretions and backed him over the equally maverick Livingstone.

London's ex-mayor was a staunch leftist who courted Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and frequently caused embarrassment to his party's national leadership. Johnson's often erratic outbursts meant he may have a similar relationship with Cameron.

Conservative officials said Johnson will step down as a House of Commons lawmaker within a year to focus on London, triggering a special election. Some predict his 67-year-old father Stanley Johnson, a former European legislator, will seek to replace his son.

Brown's poor results seem certain to embolden critics within his Labour party who fear the famously sullen ex-Treasury chief is leading his party back to the opposition benches.

His grip on power is faltering fast — in the last 12 months Labour has lost control of Scotland's regional government and London's City Hall.

"I think these results are not just a vote against Gordon Brown and his government," Cameron said Friday. "I think they are a vote of positive confidence in the Conservative Party."

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