How is Boris Johnson doing as London Mayor?

It’s early days, but there have been some interesting write-ups already of Boris Johnson, including in today’s Sunday Times which, amongst other things, points out that,

At least two ideas mooted by Johnson during his campaign have been squashed by his rigorous new policymen.

Dropping a couple of election promises so quickly is the sort of act which often gets lost in the initial media coverage of “new person in post”, but it is also the sort of act that can come back to haunt you. If Boris Johnson hits bad times and struggles on policy, the early dropping of two promises could become highly symbolic. He has also been attacked in today’s Observer, though on more debatable grounds:

Last Wednesday Johnson installed Westminster councillor Sir Simon Milton as his senior planning adviser, one of the most powerful positions in his new administration. Milton’s life partner is another councillor, Robert Davis, who is also Westminster council’s elected planning supremo.

When grilled by Westminster councillors last Wednesday about the potential for conflicts of interest, Davis flippantly said he looked forward to ‘pillow talk’ and having a ‘word in the ear’ with Milton about how Westminster planning matters would be dealt with by Mayor Johnson.

Senior Labour councillor Paul Dimoldenberg has written to the Greater London Authority’s chief executive and Westminster legal officers demanding reassurances that key planning decisions will be transparent and not made behind closed doors.

Meanwhile, London MP (and former London Assembly member) Lynne Featherstone has given her take on Boris as Mayor in her latest newspaper column.