Hughes is a Millwall supporter as well as an Iron Maiden fan

Why do you want to be the Mayor of London?

I think I could run the city better and unite it better than the current mayor and I think I could bring energy and excitement to the role.

It's the most exciting single job in London and I'd relish the chance to do it. I would be a good mayor and successful and wouldn't cost a large amount more in council tax.

BIOGRAPHY 1951: Born in Cheshire Educated at Christ College, Brecon, Selwyn College, Cambridge and College of Europe, Bruges 1971: Joined the Liberal Party 1978: Began practising as a barrister in London and moved to Southwark 1983: Became MP for Bermondsey in a by-election 1983, 1987 and 1992: re-elected to the enlarged Southwark and Bermondsey constituency 1999, 2001: re-elected to enlarged North Southwark and Bermondsey seat 1999: Runner-up to Charles Kennedy (with 43% of the vote) in the party's most recent leadership election in the summer of 1999 1999-2003: Home Affairs spokesman for Lib Dems 2003: Hands over Home Affairs brief to focus on Mayoral elections

What do you think of your competitors?

As individuals I've always got on with them well. As competitors they come with vested interests. Unions on one side and big business like Jarvis on the other, which I don't have.

As Labour and Conservative I don't think they are as good at uniting London as a Liberal Democrat is, they would find it more difficult. They are both beatable.

Where have you lived in London?

My dad was born in Hampton and when I was young I spent a lot of time in New Malden and Twickenham, in south-west London, where my family lived.

I first moved to London when I was 22 and apart from living abroad for three years I have lived here ever since - 31 years.

What was your first impression of the city?

That it was a long way away from where my family lived in Kingston because we used to get on the train for days out to London.

Also when my father drove, that it took a long time to get anywhere when you were in London.

I also couldn't understand how you'd say a street name and Londoners would know where it was. In the rest of the country nobody would know, so that's the other amazing thing.

LONDON FAVOURITES Restaurant: Champor-Champor in Weston Street, SE1 Pub: The Lord Clyde, in Clennam Street, near Borough Tube Museum: Natural History Museum and The Horniman in Forest Hill Park: Greenwich and Richmond Parks Romantic place: River Thames Common misconception about Londoners: That they like jellied eels

What was your first job in London?

Teaching English to a lot of French students who were on a summer course in Croydon. They were all more interested in each other than the course.

It was a lovely hot summer and it made me realise we were all a bit reserved as a nation in comparison. We went for a day out away from London and I was in a carriage, which was packed full of commuters, with one of the girls.

She turned round to me and said: "Simon, I must tell you something very important, I'm going to have my baby very soon." All the commuters were hiding behind their newspapers.

How do you find Londoners?

They are the most interesting group of people in the world because they come from more different places than anywhere else that I have ever been to.

This morning I was handing out leaflets at Finsbury Park Tube Station and it was brilliant to see people from every part of the world - most exciting.

Name one thing that you have seen improve in the city over time.

The one thing that has improved is the cafes and restaurants and bars and local shopping centres. I was in Ealing and there are lots of really good cafes working alongside older shops. I was in Muswell Hill on Saturday and it was just the same. The evolvement of a number of villages within London - that's happened in the last 15 years.

I think London's current hero is David Beckham... he's a brilliant footballer who has always been very unassuming Simon Hughes

Name one thing that has become worse.

The thing that's gone downhill is the sense of community and respect for other people and that's something that I would improve if I became mayor.

What can London learn from other cities?

We can learn how to do transport better and how to make it an easier place to travel around. In Berlin and Paris the Tube is better and not as expensive. Visitors to London think transport is expensive and unreliable.

Hughes thinks the Thames is London's most romantic experience

Who is your London hero?

I have a dead hero, a guy called Dr Salter, a GP, who lived in Bermondsey. He decided to give up a great career to be a GP among the people. He started as a Liberal but he defected to the Labour party because he thought the Liberals weren't radical enough. He was MP for Bermondsey up until 1945 (from 1922). He was a real campaigner for the community. Everyone respected him and loved him.

But I think London's current hero is David Beckham. He's a brilliant footballer who has always been very unassuming. I think he's been a brilliant England captain. He's a boy from east London and he's of the modern age. Whatever has been going on in his private life, he still concentrates on playing football as brilliantly as anybody else in the world.

Tell us something about yourself that people might find surprising.

I'm a Millwall fan and I used to follow Iron Maiden around the country when I was younger.