Greater London Authority Bill

It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford), and I welcome the central role that he played in securing much-needed London governance for London. He will know that my party wanted to go further, and in some respects—in particular, rail—we are going further along the lines for which we called. The Bill brings back fond memories of the Greater London Authority Bill of 1999, with its 425 clauses and 34 schedules, and of the first mayoral election and the shambolic selection of the Labour candidate. It reminds me of the debates about the congestion charge. I recall one that the hon. Member for Vauxhall (Kate Hoey) and I attended at which all the parties except mine predicted that congestion charging would lead to gridlock and various disasters in London. That has not proved to be the case. Labour Members talk very positively now about the congestion charge, but before its introduction they were almost totally silent on the subject. Labour Members also now proudly proclaim that Ken Livingstone is their Labour Mayor, but that was not quite the case four or five years ago.