Colm Howard-Lloyd

Speech writer and political analyst

Voters pick their candidate based on a huge variety of issues. They aren't always the important issues that political strategists and pollsters spend late nights worrying over. Often how their mum was treated at the local GP, or next door's planning application for a ghastly extension is what really matters to Voter X.

Reyhana Patel

Freelance journalist, writer, researcher

Political parties who are aiming for strongholds in constituencies where the Muslim vote can be crucial must now work extra hard to engage with Muslim communities and address the issues which are on the top of their agenda.

Peter Kellner

President of YouGov, political commentator and journalist

The game has changed; and with elections across much of Britain this week, the timing for the Conservatives could scarcely be worse. YouGov's latest poll for the Sunday Times puts them at 29%.

Jon Trickett MP

Jon Trickett MP is Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and MP for Hemsworth

Boris's now infamous "chicken feed" comments - referring to the £250,000 per year income he receives for a second job writing for the Telegraph on top of his Mayoral responsibilities - confirm just how obscenely out of touch he really is. While he rakes in this "chicken feed", more than 400,000 London pensioners have lost money through the Tory 'granny tax' to pay for a tax cut for the super rich. And almost 120,000 London families face losing all of their tax credits because of the Tory tax credit cuts.

Louise Phillips

PR Consultant and former Lib Dem staffer

It's been raining ever since I got back from San Francisco. I'm not exaggerating, it has rained every single day. I've spent most of my time feeling ...

Tiernan Douieb

Beverage heretic. Nighttime maverick. Action calligrapher. Comedian. Loser.

I've always had a slight fear of clowns. The terrifying need to hide behind ridiculous gestures and make-up combined with the efforts of the clown fro...

Joe Cottrell-Boyce

Policy Officer at the Irish Chaplaincy in Britain. Politically homeless socialist.

At its launch last July, Boris Johnson claimed that his flagship mentoring programme meant more to him "than anything else we do in City Hall." Boris' relentless enthusiasm for the project is puzzling in the context of a GLA report in March, which concluded that the mentoring programme had "not met its delivery targets".

Kanja Ibrahim Sesay

Former NUS Black Students' Officer

The stakes are high regarding the forthcoming elections for London Mayor on 3 May. London's black communities and other ethnic minority Londoners make up considerably more than a third. London sets the pace and agenda for the way the whole country responds to our needs and concerns. Our communities feel they are being failed. The Met is being rocked by at least 13 officers being referred to the IPCC for racism. This follows on the heels of the reports that black men were 29 times more likely to be stopped under Section 60 powers than their white counterparts.

Matthew West

Matthew West, freelance journalist

Right now Boris probably has the upper hand. And he will do until Ken can land a decisive blow of his own or owns up over his taxes. Of course come May 3rd there's also a good chance none of us will give a damn.

The Guyliner

Taking on the internet one gay at a time

There is a time, I imagine, in the lives of most gay people when they wish, if only for a moment, that they weren't gay. Perhaps it comes when they want to kiss their other half without fear of reproachful look or, worse, a boot to the head.

Nick Abbot

LBC 97.3 talk show host, DJ and writer.

In a tremendous show of openness, of the embrace of clarity, of a vivid demonstration that he gets it, George Osborne has said the he would be happy to look at publishing the tax returns of our elected representatives.

Damien Clarkson

Environmental Activist, writer

With Boris Johnson as Mayor of London, I believe we would be gambling with the environmental wellbeing for future generations. The time for comedy interviews and PR stunt has ended, let's elect a Mayor ready to listen to people not big business.

Seema Malhotra

Labour Member of Parliament for Feltham and Heston

Both campaigns say the issue is who will make you better off - "Better Off With Ken vs Better Off With Boris." Let's have that debate tonight. It is what Londoners want, and what Londoners deserve.

Jenny Jones AM

Green Party London Assembly Member

On Wednesday 4 April the London Green Party will host its second comedy fundraiser at the Leicester Square Theatre, headlined by Alistair McGowan and Scott Capurro. It will raise money for the forthcoming London elections, when I'm running for Mayor.

Dan Rickman

Alumnus of an ultra-orthodox Jewish school in London and Oxford University

For some years now, I have been the least popular person in my (orthodox) synagogue. There are, of course, many reasons for this however there is one simple one - I am the only member who is willing to vote for Ken and to say so in public.

Chris Berkin

Freelance political journalist and postgraduate student

The cynics among us will say students aren't interested in politics anymore. They condescend that the youth of today are more interested in Simon Cowell's latest retch-worthy attempt to kill off music as an art form once and for all, and in trying to breed with their cohabitants, than in a trivial matter like the London Mayoralty.