London mayoral candidates suspend campaigning over Covid-19
Two mayor of London candidates have suspended campaigning due to coronavirus.
Rory Stewart and Sian Berry announced today they would halt all ground campaigning and move their entire operations online.
They have cancelled all events and have instructed supporters to not go door knocking.
Berry said it was “no longer sensible” to continue and would instead focus the “campaign on low risk activities”.
Stewart had already cancelled his campaign launch, scheduled for next week, but took the extra step of cancelling all face-to-face campaigning this morning.
He urged all other politicians and candidates for the 7 May London mayoral election to do likewise.
Taking to Twitter, Stewart said: “I have now cancelled all public meetings, all canvassing and all door-knocking.
“I urge all candidates and politicians to do the same.”
The other three candidates told City PM they would not be making any changes to their planned campaigns.
A London Labour spokesperson said mayor Sadiq Khan would continue, but “if the expert advice changes then we will follow it”.
Tory candidate Shaun Bailey and Liberal Democrat Siobhan Benita said they would also continue campaigning unless official advice changes.
Stewart has been a vocal critic of the government’s response to the spread of Covid-19, claiming they are “taking the wrong approach”.
For the past week he has urged the government to shut down schools and limit large scale public gatherings.
He has also urged Khan to consider more stringent limitations on the public transport system.
So far, the government has not issued advice for people to self-isolate if showing flu-like symptoms or to work for home like some have suggested.
Boris Johnson has also not cancelled public gatherings, like in some other European countries.
Khan today said that taking drastic measures, like shutting down the Tube and closing schools, could “inadvertently make matters worse”.
“If you stop the Tubes and the buses running, people will take different steps,” he said.
“They may start driving in central London or start doing other things that will spread the virus.
“If you cancel sporting events and you go and watch it in the pub, you’re more likely if there’s someone with coronavirus in a pub to catch it then if there’s 70,000 people.”
It comes after Donald Trump today announced all European travel into the US would be stopped, except countries that aren’t in the Schengen zone, like the UK and Ireland.