Simon Fletcher was the Mayor of London's chief of staff for Ken Livingstone's two terms as mayor between 2000 and 2008, working as part of an administration that delivered record Met police numbers, neighbourhood policing and falling crime; successfully bid to host the 2012 Olympics; secured the biggest London transport investment programme since the Second World War; revived London's bus service; helped promote London as a world leader such as on the environment and with the congestion charge; combined investment with progressive fares policies such as the abolition of under-18 fares; and promoted and celebrated London's diverse communities.

Simon is a director of Progressive London, is a contributor to the Guardian's Comment is Free and blogs at his own site here. You can also follow him on Twitter. 

He has been a member of the Labour party since 1988 and is a member of Brent Central Constituency Labour Party and the Unite union.