The Mayor of London has a greater personal electoral mandate than any other politician in Britain. For the first eight years of the post Ken Livingston, one of Britain's most colourful politicians, took full advantage of that mandate. But on 1 May 2008 this most media-savvy of characters faced an even bigger ego: Boris Johnson, Tory MP, newspaper and magazine columnist and television personality. What led the capital's voters to choose Boris, born in New York and educated at Eton, over Ken, a Londoner to his fingertips?

Boris v. Ken looks at every aspect of the race --- the political background, the candidates, the campaign, the election itself, and of course the results and what they might mean for Londoners over the next four years. Boris, after all, will have to tackle London's transport, crime and housing problems, and prepare the city for the 2012 Olympics. How will he go about it?

This book provides Londoners with a fascinating insight into the battle to run their city, and offers anyone interested in politics a gripping account of the closest British election in a generation.

Giles Edwards is a journalist for the BBC. His previous book, British Politics Unravelled, was published by Politico's in 2006.

Jonathan Isaby is editor of the Daily Telegraph's Three Line Whip column and a regular contributor to the Three Line Whip blog on http://www.telegraph.co.uk/