Brian Paddick, an openly gay married
former police chief, on Friday won the Liberal Democrat nomination
for mayor of London, UK
gay weekly Pink News reported.
In the 2008 election, Paddick came in
third with 10 percent of the vote behind winner Boris Johnson (43%)
of the Conservative Party and runner-up Ken Livingtone (37%) of
Labour.
Next year it will be deja vu with all
three men back in the race.
Paddick won the 2012 nomination with
only 50 votes to spare, edging out rival Liberal Democrat London
Assemblyman Mike Tuffrey.
Paddick and his husband Petter Belsvik
married in Oslo, Norway in 2009. He has lamented the fact that his
marriage was “downgraded” to a civil partnership on his return to
Britain.
“We are not treated the same in
Britain as if I had married a woman on the same day last year,”
Paddick wrote. “That isn't complete equality.”
On Saturday, Paddick promised to
“devote myself full-time between now and May to securing the best
possible result for the Liberal Democrats.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the
head of the Liberal Democrats, quickly endorsed Paddick's campaign:
“Brian provides Londoners with a real, credible alternative to
Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone.”