Who said negative campaigning didn’t work? After being exposed as the old hypocrite that he is, Ken’s January lead in the polls has been annihilated. In the latest YouGov poll of first preferences, Boris is on 49% to Ken’s 41%. On second preferences the gap was the same: Boris leading Livingstone by 54% to 46%. That would see Boris improving on his 2008 result.

Earlier today a ComRes poll for the BBC was a similar headache for Ken. Boris is beating him on crime, trust, likeability and, most embarrassingly, on transport issues. Ken has made his fares promise (which FactCheck said was rubbish) the central plank of his campaign, but the public just don’t buy it. Last month Ken was ahead of Boris on sticking to promises. That lead has now gone…

Ken has seen a six point drop in those who say he “sticks to what he believes”. If Ken can’t even be honest abut his own finances, what chance does he have of convincing others to trust him with their money. Trust is Ken’s biggest weakness and he seems incapable of being honest and straight-forward, despite evidence countering what he says being freely available. Take last night’s rally where his campaign claimed there were 500 people:

Surprise, surprise the pictures tell a different story.

UPDATE: Our co-conspirator who made it inside last night’s Ken event says by the entrance door there were two mug-shot pictures of Guido and Neo-Guido presumably for the benefit of the security guards. He also says that in his speech Ken called the Telegraph’s Andrew Gilligan “mad” and Guido a “thug“. Ken’s hurting, badly…