Paul Foot to run in mayoral election

Paul Foot, the campaigning Private Eye journalist and nephew of former Labour leader Michael Foot, is to stand as a candidate for mayor of the London borough of Hackney.

Mr Foot was selected last week as candidate for the Socialist Alliance, a left-wing umbrella group that represents organisations including the Socialist Workers Party, the Communist Party of Great Britain and the Revolutionary Democratic Group.

Mr Foot's candidacy will alarm the Labour party. Previous mayoral contests in other cities have thrown up a host of winners from outside the mainstream political parties. Earlier this year, H'Angus the Monkey – also known as Stuart Drummond – was elected mayor of Hartlepool on the promise of free bananas to schoolchildren. "Robocop" Ray Mallon, also standing as an independent, was voted mayor of Middlesbrough.

Both independents beat Labour candidates – as did Ken Livingstone when he resigned from the Labour Party to defeat the party's official candidate Frank Dobson in the race to be London mayor.

Mr Foot's main rival is likely to be Hackney's current council leader Jules Pipe, who may face local animosity to the council.

Hackney has long been considered Britain's worst-run council. It is mired in debt and was bailed out earlier this year by a £25m government grant. Nevertheless, Labour won 45 of the 57 seats at the May elections while the Socialist Alliance won none.