James Cleverly electrifies London mayor race as he quits shadow cabinet to run as Tory candidate for City Hall

The Tory MP for Braintree and former Home Secretary has put himself forward to be the Conservative candidate to run City Hall.

Sir James, who has also been Foreign Secretary, said the capital needed “a champion, someone who understands its potential and is prepared to fight for its future”.

Sir James Cleverly

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Speculation had rumbled for months that Sir James, 56, who held the shadow housing, communities and local government brief since last July, was planning a bid for City Hall.

Confirming his bid, he said that he intended to make London a city to be proud of again.

He said: “Andy Burnham treats London as a cash cow: somewhere to be taxed, regulated, raided and blamed.

“Under Sadiq Khan’s Mayorship London’s reputation has been allowed to slip, at home and abroad, while too many of its problems have been left to fester.

“I’m a Londoner who cut my teeth in business and politics here so I know that Londoners are crying out for a Mayor who will take the lead out of the saddle, the rocks out of the rucksack and the drag anchor off our economy and let Londoners succeed.

“I’m ready to kill the lazy narrative that London is a Labour city.”

He has said serving in the shadow cabinet “has been a privilege..but to run the most effective campaign possible, I must be free to speak about every aspect of London’s future and concentrate fully on winning this race.”

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch says she wants other possible candidates to come forward to be Tory contender for Mayor of London

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Festus Akinbusoye, a current Tory Westminster councillor and former Police and Crime Commissioner, is expected to announce his candidacy in the coming weeks.

Olympian and former MP Lord Sebastian Coe has also been suggested as a potential contender.

In an exclusive interview with the Standard earlier this year, Ms Badenoch laid out three key criteria for the type of candidate that she is seeking for City Hall which are expertise and a track record on business, public order and life experience.

He is also a former London Assembly member.

Nigel Farage amd Reform UK London mayoral candidate Laila Cunningham

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Responding to Sir James’ announcement, Reform leader Nigel Farage posted on X: “James Cleverly will not be the first Tory MP to give up any hope of winning their seat in Essex.

“They are done for.”

Labour mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is halfway through his third term and has not yet confirmed whether he will stand again in the expected 2028 election.

He has signalled he will announce next year if he will seek a fourth term.