Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, has pledged his support to make London a Fairtrade city.

As part of Fairtrade Fortnight, the Mayor today hosted two events in partnership with the London Fairtrade Foundation to raise awareness of the value and importance of Fairtrade.

In the morning, the Mayor was in the City Hall café persuading GLA staff and members of the public to sample Fairtrade products.

In the evening, Livingstone will host a reception for retailers, catering companies, local politicians and international embassy representatives such as South Africa and Jamaica. The reception will also be attended by Fairtrade Foundation patron George Alagiah, and ex-Casualty actress Claire Goose.

Livingstone said: 'If you buy Fairtrade you can be sure that more of your money is going to struggling farmers than with regular products. I hope Londoners take this cause to heart and put the considerable weight of their retail spending behind the Fairtrade initiative, and help me make London a Fairtrade city.' The Mayor is investigating how best to fulfil all the conditions Fairtrade lay down in order to make London a Fairtrade city. These include passing a resolution to support the initiative and encouraging retailers to provide Fairtrade options for Londoners.

Martin Hill, regional chief officer of the Co-operative Group which is sponsoring the Mayor's Fairtrade reception, said: 'As Britain's leading Fairtrade retailer, the Co-operative Group welcomes the Mayor's initiative to promote Fairtrade and its principles in Greater London. Simply by buying everyday products such as Fairtrade tea, coffee, chocolate and bananas, shoppers can make a real difference to the lives of people in the developing countries and collectively the capital's residents and workers could make a substantial contribution to improving conditions.'