General Election 2015: Campaigners are trying to take Boris Johnson to court

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Activists unhappy that Boris Johnson is trying to become an MP while being the Mayor of London at the same time are trying to take him to court.

Johnson is fighting for the Conservative seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, but an online petition called #SackBoris, which currently has around 500 signatures, is trying to take him to the High Court over this alleged wrongdoing. 
 
They cite a rule in section 67 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (PRSRA), which says a person cannot be a Police and Crime Commissioner at the same time as being elected into the House of Commons. 
 
Johnson is not a Police and Crime Commissioner but the campaigners claim he holds an equivalent position, citing the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) as confirming that. 
 
The campaign group argues Johnson should therefore be made to resign as Mayor if he wants to run for a seat in the General Election but the Mayor's Office says the act does not apply as MOPAC is not included within its terms. 
 
“Boris Johnson cannot legally be Mayor of London and a Member of Parliament” they argue on the campaign website. “He should either stand down as Mayor of London or immediately withdraw his application as a Prospective Parliamentary Candidate."  
 
Johnson has been London Mayor for seven years, and plans to remain in the position until the end of his second term in May next year. 
 
If he is elected as an MP on 7 May, it will not be the first time someone had held both roles – Ken Livingstone, who was Mayor directly before Johnson, was MP for Brent East at the same time, although he was not an MP after his time as Mayor. 
 
A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office for Policing And Crime said: "There is no police and crime commissioner for London, the Mayor's Office for Policing And Crime is the strategic oversight body for the Metropolitan Police Service.
 
"The legislation surrounding MOPAC is unique, and restrictions on PCCs explicitly only apply to them. They do not apply to MOPAC or the Mayor of London."
 
Update: A statement from the Mayor's Office has been added to this article.