Boris Johnson last night said he was "shocked and astounded" at the news that the new Mayor of London was the late Mrs Doris Gruntly. Mrs Gruntly, an independent candidate from Tottenham, died last October aged 84 and her final wish was that she be put forward for the mayoral contest.
Running under the slogan "Doris not Boris", and with the help of her husband Albert who campaigned tirelessly on her behalf, Mrs Gruntly's ceremonial urn was voted in by a narrow majority. Although her manifesto was a little light on policy, she appears to have won the hearts of the electorate with her personality alone. She beat such diverse candidates as Ken Livingstone, Richard Branson and Pippa Middleton's bum.