Tory mayoral hopeful fails to attend event

10:26am Wednesday 7th April 2004

TORY Steve Norris pulled out of a public meeting after mistakenly believing he would be sharing a platform with a far-right candidate.

The mayoral hopeful refused to take part in the debate despite being told the BNP's Julian Leppert had been barred from speaking.

Organiser Churches Together in Orpington were "disappointed" Mr Norris refused to attend, saying the date had originally been fixed to suit him.

A spokesman for Mr Norris said: "Steve is a serious politician. He's not going to go on a platform with a group he considers racist and offensive."

Tory London Assembly leader Eric Ollerenshaw stood in for him at the hustings at Bromley civic centre last Friday.

Lib Dem candidate Simon Hughes, currently MP for Bermondsey, said: "I have taken the BNP on for the whole of my political career. They are racist and evil but I would share a platform with them because I believe you have to confront evil."

Afterwards Mr Leppert, who sat in the audience, accused Mr Hughes of wanting to give away Britain's sovereignty and said this amounted to high treason.

He said: "Excluding me illustrates who the democrats are and who the real fascists are."

With Ken Livingstone on paternity leave, Labour's candidate for the Bromley and Bexley seat on the London Assembly, Charlie Mansell, spoke at the meeting.

UK Independence Party hopeful Frank Maloney, Christian People's Alliance candidate Ram Gidoomal and current deputy mayor Jenny Jones, of the Green Party, also outlined their policies.

Mr Maloney and Mr Ollerenshaw pledged to scrap the congestion charge if successful on June 10.