The rivals hoping to be first in Tory race for Mayor

They are the three unknowns challenging Boris Johnson to become the Tory candidate for Mayor of London.

The performances of Andrew Boff, Victoria Borwick and Warwick Lightfoot at hustings meetings have surprised many and left Tories with a real choice. All have long experience of London politics, in contrast to Mr Johnson, who despite his higher profile has been criticised for getting his facts wrong on subjects such as cyclist fatalities.

Even Ken Livingstone admits to being fascinated by the race and has offered to debate with all four candidates. Here, the Standard unmasks the outsiders. We reveal Mr Boff tried cannabis as a student, Mrs Borwick is a Harry Potter fan and Mr Lightfoot likes Billy Ocean. About 60,000 Londoners are expected to participate in the X-Factor-style vote to choose the candidate, with the winner being announced on 27 September, a day after the postal vote closes.

THE CANDIDATES REVEAL THEIR CARDS

How do you travel around London?
Andrew Boff: Cycle, bus, car, Tube in that order.
Victoria Borwick: The Tube. Occasionally I use the Thames Clipper service. That is a real treat.
Warwick Lightfoot: I love to walk. Then it's the bus, then the Tube. I only use the car if I'm going to awkward places from a public transport perspective.

Where was your last holiday?
AB: Herefordshire/Welsh border.
VB: Lake District with my family.
WL: Cornwall.

Do you have another job? AB: Publisher and IT consultant. I'm also behind Broadway Market traders' and residents' association.
VB: I worked in mediation and arbitration in Gray's Inn Road.
WL: I'm an economist.

Have you ever smoked cannabis? AB: The last joint I had was in 1979 at Brunel university. I got lost on the perimeter road. I decided from that point on that it wasn't such a good option.
VB: No. The problem with downgrading cannabis is that it gives people a false impression that it could be safe.
WL: No. A doctor friend said it's like playing Russian roulette with the chemistry of your mind.

What will be your first priority if elected Mayor?
AB: Remodelling the government of London to make it much more democratic. Ken Livingstone is an overcentralising Mayor.
VB: I would ask the Met Commissioner what we are going to do about crime hot spots.
WL: Start with a zero-base budget to get value for money at City Hall and commission a plan for the investment in transport and flood defences for the next 40 years.

What are your Tory credentials?
AB: I joined the party in Uxbridge when I was 15. I was a councillor from 1982 to 1994, leader of Hillingdon council from 1990 to 1992 and Parliamentary candidate for Hornsey in 1992. I have been the Euro candidate for Greenwich, Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham and I took a seat from Labour in Hackney in 2005.
VB: I joined in the Seventies. I have been a Kensington & Chelsea councillor for six years. I worked at Central Office and was Steve Norris's running mate in 2000.
WL: I joined when I was 15 or 16. I have been a Kensington & Chelsea councillor since 1986. I stood for Parliament in Liverpool Mossley Hill and South-East Cornwall. I was special adviser to three Chancellors: Nigel Lawson, John Major and Norman Lamont.

Where do you live?
AB: By Broadway Market, Hackney.
VB: Off Kensington High Street.
WL: Between Ladbroke Grove and Portobello Road.

Where did you go to school? AB: Abbotsfield secondary modern, Hillingdon.
VB: in Sussex.
WL: Totnes comprehensive.

Where do you shop?
AB: Broadway Market. One of my policies is to allow councils to turn down applications from chain stores based on their effect on the local economy.
VB: Where I live, I can buy fruit and veg in North End Road, or go up to Notting Hill Gate. WL: Mostly Portobello Market.

Describe your dress sense...
AB: Somebody once said I dressed with naive charm, a nice way of saying scruffily.
VB: Comfortable.
WL: Tidy and comfortable.

What was the last CD you bought?
AB: Bloody hell, I can't remember. I'm not a great music buyer.
VB: Stephen Fry reading Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows.
WL: Billy Ocean, with When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going; The Beautiful South's Blue Is The Colour.

The last film you watched?
AB: The Walker. It was dreadful. Woody Harrelson was not born to play a gay man.
VB: Probably something with the children and popcorn.
WL: Atonement.

The last book you read?
AB: I don't hold with all this book learning... never have time.
VB: Words That Work by Frank Luntz.
WL: The Wages Of Destruction by Adam Tooze, about how the Nazis tried to run their economy.

How much is a bus fare?
AB: I use my Oyster, but it's £2.
VB: With my Oyster card it's only 70p or £1.
WL: £2.50? I always use Oyster.
[A single cash fare on the bus is £2. Charges vary for Oyster users depending on journey numbers.]

What is your unique selling point?
AB: I can present Tory plans and policies in language that Londoners can understand.
VB: I'm a Londoner with very clear ideas about what needs to be done.
WL: I have the experience, expertise and skills to deliver an agenda of public service reform based on value for money.