Richard Barnes (British politician)
Richard Michael Barnes is a British politician, who was the Deputy Mayor of London from 2008 to 2012. A former member of the Conservative Party, Barnes served as the Leader of the Conservatives on the London Assembly from 2007 to 2008, and was the Member of the London Assembly (AM) for Ealing and Hillingdon from 2000 to 2012, when he lost his seat to Labour. On 30 September 2014, Barnes defected to the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
Barnes on stage at the St George's Day festival, 2010
A Deputy Mayor is a member of the London Mayoral cabinet, in the executive arm of the Greater London Authority. They serve as political advisors with responsibilities and powers corresponding to portfolios delegated by the Mayor. One of them must be designated as the Statutory Deputy Mayor, a member of the London Assembly who serves as the temporary Mayor during a vacancy or temporary incapacity of the Mayor.
Deputy Mayor of London