In a race where everyone's policies can seem the same, find out where the candidates fall on the political spectrum
Image: Kyle Gradinger
The London mayoral election is dominated by the liberal left, according to new data published by the new pro-democracy platform Crowdpac.
Even Zac Goldsmith, who has been widely criticised for his divisive campaign, is barely right of centre — well to the left of David Cameron and Boris Johnson. Sadiq Khan, the favourite to become mayor, is squarely centre-left.
The aim of the mayoral matchmaker is to demonstrate where different candidates stand ideologically, in a race in which everyone’s policies can seem superficially similar.
The algorithm used to place candidates draws on an extensive base of political data, including textual analysis of speeches and Twitter following. The model was developed by Crowdpac’s founders in the US, where the data team analyses campaign contributions, congressional votes, speeches and other inputs.
Sian Berry of the Greens is the furthest left of the five leading candidates and Lib Dem Caroline Pidgeon is the most liberal, though by a narrower margin.
UKIP’s Petter Whittle is the furthest right of any candidate in the race, although he is far less authoritarian than the BNP and Britain First candidates.
It’s also interesting to note that supposed socialist George Galloway — who has run a stridently anti-rich campaign — is placed slightly to the right of Labour’s Khan.
Crowdpac has recently launched in the UK, aiming to ‘give politics back to the people’. You can find your own position on the spectrum by using Crowdpac’s matchmaker quiz.
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