Tories shortlist techie for London mayor

An IT consultant has made the shortlist to be the Tory candidate for London mayor. Andrew Boff, MD of Shoreditch-based consultancy Creative Juices, has become the main challenger to ex-philanderer Steven Norris. Boff's experience in the heady world of politics includes a spell leading Hillingdon Council. He told The Register that his policies would favour privatising the London Underground. And his IT ideas for the city include starting a Web site detailing all road works and street repairs. Boff also said he planned to put every mayoral document of a non-personal nature on the Web – including his own bank account details. Which should give us all a chance to see how lucrative the consultancy field really is. "My government will be the most open in the world," he promised. Regarding his battle with high-profile Norris, Boff said: "We can get into the celebrity cult thing, or get into the skills the candidates have. I think Londoners want someone whose feet are firmly on the ground." But he's no stranger to infamy and power struggles. Boff, 41, is a nephew of Roy "Little Legs" Smith – who at 4 foot 2 inches claimed to be the smallest member of the infamous Kray Twins' gang. "He was my favourite uncle, not least because he was the first one I was taller than," Boff told today's Times newspaper. Boff came third the last time the Tories voted for their candidate – beaten by Jeffrey Archer and Norris. The odds of him becoming mayor are quoted 100-1. His consultancy, Creative Juices was started three months ago. Boff has previously worked for Virgin and computer games company GT Interactive. Voting to see whether the Conservatives will choose a techie to lead them into the mayoral contest closes on 17 January. ®