Sir James Cleverly has said he is resigning from the Shadow Cabinet to run for London mayor.
“I am putting myself forward to be the Conservative candidate for mayor of London, because our capital needs more than an administrator,” the Tory MP wrote in .
He is understood to have resigned from his role as shadow housing secretary effective immediately, after informing Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch of his plan on Thursday. However, he has not yet resigned as an MP.
A former home and foreign secretary, Cleverly lost out to Badenoch on his 2024 Conservative leadership bid – and now has his sights set on leading the capital.
According to , a source close to Badenoch revealed she is “gutted” to lose Cleverly, but “delighted that someone of his calibre wants to put himself forward to be Conservative nominee for mayor of London”.
They added: “She really wants someone to take on Sadiq Khan, as he is destroying the London she loves.”
The next mayoral election is expected in May 2028, and incumbent Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has not yet confirmed if he plans to run for a fourth term.
Cleverly, 56, is not guaranteed to run as the Tory candidate in the election, as he will first have to win the party’s nomination to be able to stand.
It is thought that Cleverly was keen to make the decision before the Tory party conference, due to be held in Birmingham in early October.
His resignation also means Badenoch will be able to replace him fairly soon in her Shadow Cabinet reshuffle anticipated for next month.
The MP for Braintree, Essex, accused Khan of being “asleep at the wheel”.
He told : “There has been lots of posturing, very little delivery. Lots of picking rows with the President of America, less focus on bringing down street crime.”
Throwing his hat in the ring, Cleverly said London “needs a champion”, adding that as a native Londoner, he feels the capital has been “let down by Labour“.
Under his leadership, he said he envisions “a London that is both aspirational and affordable”, accusing Prime Minister Andy Burnham of currently using the city as a “cash cow”.
He added: “Of course London has problems that need fixing. But it also has huge opportunities, extraordinary reserves of talent and almost limitless potential. Our capital should never be embarrassed by its success.”
Cleverly grew up in Lewisham, south London, and first entered politics as a representative for Bexley and Bromley at the London Assembly for eight years between 2008 and 2016, before he became an MP.
Cleverly said he is stepping down now to allow him to run “the most effective campaign possible”, and “concentrate fully on winning this race”.
Between 2022 and 2023, Cleverly served as foreign secretary under Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, and was later moved over to home secretary in November 2023 in the latter’s cabinet reshuffle.
His candidacy would mark a significant change in the Conservative Party’s approach to the London mayoral elections, after Khan won the previous three elections.
In the last race in 2024, Tory London Assembly member Susan Hall received 33 per cent of the vote, versus Khan’s 44 per cent.
But Cleverly is a big name in the Tory party, one of their few frontbenchers still left standing, who could give Khan or another Labour candidate a stronger run for their money.
A YouGov poll earlier this month found 47 per cent of Londoners think the current mayor is doing badly, particularly on issues of crime and housing.
Moreover, a majority of 56 per cent said they think Khan should step down and allow a different Labour candidate to run at the next election – 2026 marks 10 years since he first won the mayoralty.
Cleverly also speculated that Khan may choose not to stand for re-election in 2028, meaning he could face up against a different Labour candidate – saying the current mayor has “lost the passion for the job”.