Renowned actor Tom Conti is backing Siobhan Benita running for Mayor of London.
Mr Conti, who himself nearly ran as the Tory candidate for London mayor in 2008, said:
"I support Siobhan running to be an independent mayor. She's an interesting candidate and should be taken seriously. It would be very good to have a mayor who wasn't from a political party".
He went on to say she should be allowed on the upcoming mayoral debates:
"I'd like to see her go head to head with Boris and Ken in a TV debate"
Siobhan Benita is currently battling against broadcasting rules which mean she is barred from the high-profile TV debates because she has no previous track record in elections and no clear way to demonstrate public support for her.
Siobhan welcomed Mr Conti's announcement:
"I'm delighted that Tom Conti is supporting me running as an independent. He's a well-know figure who himself seriously considered standing as the Tory candidate last time around - so he understands the importance of the role. Actually, it's a shame he didn't stand as I'm sure he would have done a great job."
