Cripes! London has a new mayor. Boris Johnson’s stunning election victory has given the UK’s opposition Conservative party its first high-profile public administrator since John Major. Mr Johnson has a clownish reputation. He is better known for colourful gaffes and his comic television appearances than any political acumen. But the new mayor should be taken seriously. His defeat of Ken Livingstone means that London will now be a proving ground for David Cameron’s resurgent Tories.

Mr Johnson’s first test will be the appointment of a competent and dynamic executive team. The mayor has a formidable intellect and drive that belie his image. But he has no record as an administrator. It is vital that the personnel he chooses make up for that glaring deficiency.