Today is the City of London by-election in the Farringdon Within ward. Yesterday the candidates met face to face for a hustings, and needless to say, with a convicted rioter and Occupy hippy on the ballot, things got a little spicy.

Bryn Phillips, whose campaign Guido has been keeping you up to date with, couldn’t even rely on his learned friends from lefty chambers Tooks, who appeared to be trying to have reporting restrictions put on the meeting. The transparency for the City campaign has got off to a flying start!

Due to their failure to realise this was a public meeting, Guido can report how Bryn’s opponents described the half-pint hippy as “a violent thug with a penchant for assaulting police officers” and pointed out that he “won’t be serving the City, but serving time.” When Guido tried to question Phillips after the meeting he ran away. Literally.

Despite being convicted of violent disorder and burglary and currently awaiting sentence, bonkers Bryn claimed he has has already paid back his debt to society – because he works in a food bank in Hackney. Guido will let the judge decide that one. Happy voting in Farringdon…