Ken Livingstone, Labour's candidate for the London mayoralty, today announced a running mate for the election in 2012 to bring a "fresh approach" to his fourth mayoral campaign bid.
Val Shawcross, a London assembly member for the past 10 years and former leader of Croydon council, will be appointed deputy mayor if Livingstone wins his rematch against Boris Johnson in 2012.
Livingstone intends to highlight the "multiple" deputy mayors serving under Johnson, by vowing to make Shawcross his only choice.
The statutory deputy mayor role is a member of the London assembly appointed by the incumbent mayor, but the London leader can appoint other deputies if he wishes – as Johnson has done.
With 17 months to go until the election, the former mayor said Shawcross, who chairs the assembly's transport committee, will begin work "immediately" by leading the campaign against Boris Johnson's "unfair" fare increases.
Livingstone said Shawcross would bring a "new perspective and a fresh approach".
Shawcross represents Lambeth and Southwark on the London assembly and as well as holding the transport brief for Labour she is a member of the Metropolitan police authority.
Livingstone said: "While Boris Johnson's administration fails to get a grip – from transport chaos to tube and fire strikes and fare increases – Val Shawcross is extremely capable and in touch with ordinary Londoners."
She replaces Nicky Gavron, who previously served as Livingstone's deputy mayor and was his running mate during his unsuccessful campaign in 2008 when Boris Johnson defeated his attempt at a third mayoral term.
Livingstone paid tribute to Gavron and said she would be driving Labour's agenda on climate change and planning if his team returned to power at City Hall.
Shawcross vowed to build a "winning campaign" to wrest back the mayoralty from the Conservatives.
She said: "It is becoming clearer by the day London's Conservative mayor is out of his depth ... Last week parts of London were paralysed by snow, delays on the tube have become the norm and vital public services such as the police are being cut.
"In uncertain times we don't need an uncertain mayor. Londoners need an administration in City Hall which is on their side and will always stand up for them. It is clear that Boris Johnson is failing to do this."