With the London mayoral election now less than a year away (!), second rate Tory hopefuls have started jockeying for position to take on incumbent Sadiq Khan. Guido presents an exhausted racecard.
Out of the gates in a flash, early frontrunner Samuel Kasumu was chomping at the bit to declare his candidacy and has claimed some thoroughbred backers, including Priti Patel, Grant Shapps and Steve Baker. As the former advisor to Boris Johnson nails his colours to the YIMBY mast:
“The Tories are in danger of turning our back on Thatcher’s legacy and our Party’s homeownership principles. It is vital for our future that we continue efforts to get more homes built.”
Time will tell if Kasumu has the stamina.
Next in line to the throne, Susan Hall, optimistically put her name forward to deliver the self-declared “common sense” pitch. Hall is a tough on crime trope, with a pledge to form a new Met Police unit focused on burglars, muggers and thieves. Susan wistfully reflected:
“Not too long ago, London was a safer, happier and more tolerant city. It can be that again. If I am your candidate, we will get there.”
London’s silent majority?
Outside bet Nick Rogers is sculpting a ‘cool’ campaign that promises to “stand up for millennial Londoners”. The Conservative’s spokesman for transport in City Hall has promised a “manifesto for renters” and to axe ULEZ expansion. Former special constable Rogers has adopted the mantra:
“Who better to stand up for millennial Londoners than a millennial Londoner?”
It’s bold, you’ve got to give it that.
‘Boff for London’ left the paddock and joined the pack today. Andrew Boff, London Assembly member since 2008 and former leader of the City Hall Conservatives, is running on a bumper manifesto to make London safer, scrap ULEZ expansion, restore local policing and build homes. Boffin, who ran his own IT support company, eloquently wrote:
“My promise to every London Conservative if they select me is to bring all levels of our Party together in my campaign, so we not only defeat Sadiq Khan but reconnect with people and communities across the capital, winning their trust and keeping it.”
Nawww… anyway, who’s next?
After teasing that he was “considering” and then “still considering” running, Paul Scully has put us out of our misery and entered the gladiatorial arena that is the Tory London Mayor race. The Minister for London is tipped as a favourite with odds sure to shorten at the bookies and is understood to be running on a ticket of housing, scrapping ULEZ expansion, and Met Police bolstering. Bingo!
One time No. 10 aide Daniel Korski is thought to be planning a bid, while Kit Malthouse has refused to deny a potential mayoral challenge. Other names floating around are Shaun Bailey, Justine Greening and Rob Rinder.
Applications close May 24 when the list will be trimmed to 8 before being cut further by a committee to 2 or 3 candidates on 4 June. Voting then opens between 4 July and 18 July. First past the post!
UPDATE: Friend of Stephen Lawrence and former councillor, Duwayne Brooks has been in touch to say he is also in the running. Again.
UPDATE II: Dan Korski will formally launch his campaign at 9am on Tuesday, 16th May.
Kit Malthouse, a former education secretary, and before that policing minister for three years, expressed concern that prohibiting laughing gas could backfire…
“On nitrous oxide though, I wonder if I could just urge [Suella Braverman, the home secretary] to examine carefully the roots of supply of this particular toxin. One of the issues that we need to avoid is that this substance moves from the legitimate market into the illegitimate market, becomes another hook for drug dealers to draw young people into their awful trade. How can she restrict supply to those who genuinely need it without it necessarily becoming an illicit substance that drug dealers use for their business?”
