No 10 rolls out the red carpet for elected mayors

An invite pinged into my email in-box a fortnight ago announcing that the Prime Minister requested the pleasure of my company at a reception at No 10 Downing St on March 27 'at a reception in support of the Government's policy on the referendums for city mayors.'
What could this entail I thought? The PM must be a pretty busy man what with all these foreign policy crises, meeting President Obama and mopping up after incompetent party treasurers. Surely he has no time to spare sipping Chardonnay (or in his case water) talking to local worthies about obscure constitutional issues of local government.
Well obviously he does because the big guns were rolled out for this event. As I queued at the gates I found myself in front of Lord Heseltine who turned out to be compering the presentations. Upstairs at No 10 the function room was packed with civic and business leaders. Lord Heseltime announced to laughter that he had 'waited for a long time to invite you to No 10.' The Prime Minister then delivered an impassioned speech in favour of elected mayors saying he backed them for three reasons, their accountability to the electorate, their direct link for inward investors and their visible leadership. He also pledged to set up a Cabinet of elected mayors whose first meeting he would chair.
To emphasis that this agenda was strictly cross party there were also speeches from Leicester's Labour mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, the ex-Lib Dem leader of Newcastle Lord Shipley and of course Boris Johnson. Announcing that Lord Heseltine was 'the godfather' of elected city mayors and glancing at the PM Boris added: 'I want to thank Dave for allowing me into No 10.'
On the way out into Downing St in the glorious spring sunshine a crowd ofvisiting schoolchildren thronged around the famous doorway. In front of me Boris wheeled his bicycle down to Whitehall. As he entered it a teacher called out to her brood: 'Look children! It's the London Mayor!'
I guess that proves that rather proves Cameron's point.