Neither the three celebrities that have declared their intentions, nor former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten -- another potential candidate for mayor -- are anywhere near the top of early opinion polls. First in Londons heart is Red Ken Livingstone, the extreme-left-wing ex-council leader whom Mrs. Thatcher ousted in the early '80s. Red Kens elevation to the new job would be an enormous embarrassment for Tony Blair, who has renounced the old-style socialism that his Labor colleague Livingstone still sticks up for. The election is set for late 1999 -- and if opinions stay the same, it will be a greater spectacle than the Millennium Dome.
Reuters: British Local Polls Labors First Test
TIME Daily on Tony Blairs Millennium Dome: If He Builds It, Will They Come?