Is the London Mayoralty Too Successful for England?

Have Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson, the only two persons to ever serve as Mayor of London, been too good at their jobs? Although the position comes with very little administrative power, Meagher views its megaphone as its greater asset, and the greatest detriment to the rest of the country. "The mayor's megaphone means that London's voice echoes in the corridors of power, the boardrooms of the capital and the news conferences of our national media, says Meagher. "The casual assumption that London's priorities are the nation's priorities has now become an unshakeable article of faith."

He sees "the extra lobbying clout of the London mayor" as accentuating pre-existing trends that allow London to act as "a city-state: autonomous, successful and happy to blaze a trail, while the rest of the country lags far behind."

"Successive governments have set out to narrow the economic and opportunity gap between the capital and the rest of the country only to see the problem get worse," notes Meagher. Exasperated, his solution is to scrap the Mayor of London.