Labour mayoral candidate Christian Wolmar has hit out at radio station LBC for excluding him and fellow candidate Gareth Thomas from an on-air hustings on Thursday.
Wolmar said he had initially been told by host Iain Dale that the studio did not have enough microphones for more than four candidates.
However, a later email from LBC deputy managing editor Tom Cheal said the decision was based on polling indicating both Wolmar and Thomas had the support of only about 2% of Londoners.
The latest LBC polling puts both Wolmar and Thomas on 4%.
EXCLUSIVE @LBC London Mayoral poll: Jowell: 42% Khan: 21% Abbott: 16% Lammy: 12% Thomas: 4% Wolmar: 4% http://t.co/sI4PHYxYQY
— Iain Dale (@IainDale) August 13, 2015
The debate is set to be broadcast at 7pm on Thursday, and will be available to watch online.
“I am bitterly disappointed that LBC, which always used to be regarded as a serious and influential radio station, and its presenter, Iain Dale, have done their utmost to exclude me from their election hustings programme,” said Wolmar.
“That should be an affront to the whole of the Labour party and to the Labour members and supporters in London who nominated me to be on the ballot paper and who have joined my campaign since then. It should also be an affront to all the other Labour candidates seeking selection by the party to stand for mayor of London.”
Wolmar said the polling has been discredited following the election, and pointed to less formal polling by Labour List suggesting he has greater support among those eligible to vote.
An LBC spokesperson said: “When it comes to choosing the right participants for our debates, we identify the leading candidates among the voters. Our decision was based on editorial not practical considerations.”
Wolmar also criticised the four candidates who are taking part – Tessa Jowell, Sadiq Khan, David Lammy and Diane Abbott – for not “standing shoulder to shoulder” with their fellow candidates by agreeing to the hustings.
“Most of my Labour mayoral colleagues’ campaigns have had the benefit administrative or financial assistance from the trades unions,” he said. “Yet in this one instance in our campaigns for a better London, when collective action is required, four of them are acting out of self-serving motives.”
Wolmar, a journalist and transport expert, is campaigning on a platform of creating a sustainable transport network and better street planning, as well as supporting a London living wage, efforts to tackle the city’s housing crisis and separating out the Metropolitan police’s national and local responsibilities.
