Tory's London mayor candidate promises to 'name and shame' booze boroughs

In an opening salvo of what could be a close election for London's mayor, Boris Johnson has pledged to "name and shame" London boroughs which fail to crack down on binge drinking and alcohol-related violence.

The Conservative mayoral candidate warned on Wednesday that town centres often became "no-go areas" and said it was "time to get tough on bars and shops that break the rules" by removing their licence.

Claiming that drink was implicated in 40 per cent of violent crime incidents, he highlighted Metropolitan Police figures showing a 13.7 per cent increase in violent offences since 2000. "In addition to getting more police on the streets, we need to tackle the problem at its core and get tough with bars and shops that break the rules," he said. "We must make alcohol harder to buy for under-18s in order to tackle the problem of underage drinking and deal with alcohol-related violence. "I am willing to publish league tables, naming and shaming those councils who do not use their new powers to crackdown on this." Johnson also said he would "use my influence" as chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority to ensure that police officers "take a more proactive approach" in tackling underage drinking.

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