Dick Whittington Coming To London

John Bird, the founder of the Big Issue magazine sold by the homeless, has announced he is to stand as an independent candidate for the Mayor of London. A reformed criminal and drug taker, Mr Bird said he would be "a mayor of the streets" and would run on a platform of social inclusion, representing housing estates and communities and highlighting issues such as ghettoisation.

Some Conservatives had hoped to persuade Mr Bird to stand on their platform.