Gavron: I may drop car charge

Deputy London mayor Nicky Gavron today promised to abandon congestion charges if they do not work, provided the Labour Party and Londoners vote her in as the next Mayor for the capital.

The scheme, one of Ken Livingstone's most controversial moves in his first term in office, is due to be introduced in February.

Mrs Gavron said: "If the scheme works I shall continue it, but if it fails I shall want it changed or abandoned before the election."

Speaking at the launch of her campaign for the Labour nomination at New City Hall, she promised to spend £100 million on orbital bus routes and increase police numbers from 28,000 to 35,000. She attacked the Mayor for wasting taxpayers' money on his court battle against PPP for the Tube, saying it was a "done deal".

She claimed he had done nothing to tackle child poverty and had ignored her plea to hire a single member of staff to look at this "urgent problem".

Despite promising 23,000 new affordable houses every year, Mrs Gavron said she would ban building on the Green Belt and said she was "not a fan" of tower blocks.

But Londoners could face higher council tax to fund her policies, after she said she will consider raising money "in all ways".

Asked how she differed in policy from the Mayor, Mrs Gavron said: "I did not advise Ken Livingstone in taking this PPP to court. It was a waste of money."

Questioned on congestion charges, she said: "It is about people not using their cars quite as many times, and using the money for fantastic public transport."

She attacked the two other Labour contenders, Tony Banks and Bob Shannon, saying she did not want a "yah-boo" campaign against Ken Livingstone again.

She urged her supporters, who include Labour MPs Oona King and Glenda Jackson, to back the Mayor in their second preference vote to keep the Tories out.