Cameron ‘delight’ at Johnson victory

Praising the London mayor for running a “very strong” campaign, Mr Cameron promised they would work together for the good of London.

“(The campaign) was based on his record, on the excellent things he has done out there, and I am delighted to congratulate him,” the prime minister said.

“It was a campaign the whole Conservative Party got behind.

“I enjoyed campaigning for Boris, but now what matters is working together for the good of London – as PM, as mayor, and that is exactly what we are going to do.”

No overall majority

Boris Johnson defeated Ken Livingstone by 3 per cent, it was announced late on Friday night after a series of counting delays.

He won on second preference votes after failing to secure an overall majority of the votes in the first round. Mr Johnson’s margin over his Labour rival – 62,500 votes, or 2.5 per cent – was narrower than four years ago.

I suspect this has settled the quesion of the next Tory leadership election. Ken Livingstone

Liberal Democrat mayoral candidate Brian Paddick was pushed into fourth place by Jenny Jones, for the Green Party. Independent candidate Siobhan Benita came fifth.

The London mayor’s victory has prompted speculation about his long-term political ambitions.

His success in London came in contrast to Conservative losses in the rest of the country. The Tories lost control of 11 local authorities and saw more than 400 councillors unseated.

After conceding defeat at London’s City Hall, Ken Livingstone told the victorious Conservative candidate: “Whilst Cameron and Osborne are dragging the Tory party down to defeat in the rest of Britain, not only have you won another term, but I suspect this has also settled the question of the next Tory leadership election.”

Long-term plans

Boris Johnson and David Cameron have followed similar career paths. Both attended Eton, where Johnson was two years senior to the Tory leader. At Oxford, they were members of the notorious Bullingdon drinking club.

He needs to go through other stages before he could be seriously considered (as Conservative Party leader). Tim Montgomerie, conservativehome

In a 2005 interview, Mr Johnson admitted that it was “one of the many traumas I have to bear in my life” that the high-flying Cameron was two years his junior.

The Independent newspaper speculated on Friday that Mr Johnson might stand for parliament again in 2015 – although he rejected this as a possibility in a BBC interview.

But Tim Montgomerie, editor of the conservativehome website, is reserving judgement on the London mayor’s long-term plans.

“It’s too early to say. I think he’s been a very successful mayor of London, and he’s surprised many people with how good he’s been as mayor,” Mr Montgomerie said.

“But he needs to go through other stages before he could be seriously considered.”