Voice paper launches Boris attack

Ken Livingstone, fighting to retain his job as Mayor of London in the May 1 election, released a list of his influential supporters on Monday, among them actress Emma Thompson, graffiti artist Banksy and the designer Vivienne Westwood. One source of support he didn't mention was The Voice - "Britain's Best Black Newspaper" - which is helpfully running an article this week slamming into his mayoral rival, Boris Johnson.

With the ethnic minority vote becoming a key issue in the campaign, the article does Johnson no favours by going back over such infamous Boris-isms as 'piccaninnies' and 'watermelon smiles' and arguing that he would undermine race relations in London if he were to win. The accompanying illustration (pictured) has Johnson's head photo-montaged onto the reptilian torso of Godzilla, looming over City Hall.

The Voice quotes a recent Ipsos Mori poll showing that 40 per cent are ready to vote for Johnson, enough to give him a win. It urges readers to register to vote in an effort to stop the Tory and keep Livingstone in power.

"This could be highly damaging for Johnson," says a campaign watcher. "He can't wave the race issue away, but at the same time he can't ignore it. Each accusation must be rebutted, which means it gets into the newspapers again."