With the party staring down the barrel of defeat in the general election due later this year, could the Tories be stealing from the Trump playbook to turn their dismal poll ratings around?
Featuring heavy overtones of a Batman movie, the video posted to X (formally Twitter) is composed of clips shot in moody black and white and an American-accented voiceover. Issued by Conservative Central Office (CCHQ), it has already been edited and re-uploaded after viewers spotted that one of the dystopian-looking scenes it depicted was of the New York subway rather than the London Tube.
Some contend the video was a joke never intended to be taken seriously, but others, including senior Conservatives, complain it posed a “dangerous” distraction from the real issues at stake in the forthcoming battle for London — the mayor is seeking re-election in a few weeks’ time.
Khan himself said the film was a sign of things to come, claiming the Conservatives will fight the impending mayoral election with “misinformation [and] lies.”
Even some supporters of Susan Hall, the Conservative candidate in the race, agree a line may have been crossed. Andrew Boff, a long-serving Conservative London Assembly Member, said: “Susan Hall has a hugely positive message, and one that is independent of the contribution of what I can only assume was an inexperienced intern at CCHQ.”
Blue lights flashing
Londoners go to the polls May 2, with Khan seeking a third term in office. Hall, a London Assembly Member was picked by the Tories to take him on after a chaotic selection race in which the presumed favorite, former No. 10 aide Daniel Korski, quit amid historic sexual assault allegations, which he denied.
