London - Labour's candidate for London mayor, Mr Frank Dobson, mounted one of his fiercest attacks yet on Mr Ken Livingstone yesterday, describing his rival as an "oddball" who was "soft on terrorism".
Mr Dobson, who went on the beat with police in Paddington to highlight his pledge to cut street crime within two years if elected mayor, claimed Mr Livingstone had "no interest in tackling crime at all". But Mr Livingstone, who faces expulsion from the Labour Party following his decision to stand as an independent against Mr Dobson, the party's official candidate, hit back. He insisted that if elected he would seek more policemen on the street.
He also defended remarks he made about the IRA, saying events had shown his commitment to a negotiated settlement in Northern Ireland had been right.