James Cleverly Gains Backing of Majority of London Conservatives for Mayoral Bid
Sir James Cleverly has secured support from most London Conservative councillors and several MPs as he seeks the party’s mayoral nomination.
Sir James Cleverly, the former Foreign Secretary, is positioning himself as the Conservative contender for London mayor after receiving endorsements from a group of senior party members, such as shadow London minister Gareth Bacon and MPs David Simmonds, Peter Fortune and Louie French. A wave of council leaders across boroughs—including Steve Tuckwell in Hillingdon and Jason Perry, mayor of Croydon—have added their names to the list, bringing the total of backing councillors to about 235 out of 407.
Three London Assembly members, Neil Garratt, Alessandro Georgiou and Thomas Turrell, have also publicly supported his bid. In a statement, Cleverly expressed gratitude to the MPs, councillors and assembly members who have signed on, and said his campaign will focus on classic Conservative values and a forward-thinking, entrepreneurial approach. Should he not run, Labour figures such as Dawn Butler, David Lammy and Rosena Allin-Khan are expected to vie for their party’s nomination, while Reform UK has already named Laila Cunningham as its mayoral candidate.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Address Commons on First Day Back
- Sep 3 During the opening of Reform UK's three-day conference in Birmingham, deputy leader Richard Tice warned against Chinese buses and goods, urging support for British manufacturing. Yet the nearby merchandise stall offered caps, hoodies and water bottles that were produced in China alongside items from Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. Prices ranged from £5 for pins to £45 for hoodies, with a UK-made Nigel Farage tea towel costing £20. The speech also highlighted the party’s broader business agenda and its leader Nigel Farage’s recent controversies.
- Sep 4 Bond yields surged to their fastest rise since the 2022 mini‑budget, wiping out £12 billion of fiscal headroom.
- Sep 6 Burnham pledged to transfer failing utilities into public ownership.
- Sep 6 John Healey will launch a £150 million fund aimed at supporting university spin-outs and other high-growth companies across northern England.
- Sep 6 West Midlands Police have issued a call for the protester to come forward to assist their inquiry.
- Sep 7 Healey also pledged steps to curb borrowing costs, energy bills, regulation and labour expenses on UK businesses.
- Sep 9 Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he will not trim social security programmes to meet the 3 % of GDP defence spending goal and gave no timetable for reaching it.
- Sep 9 Burnham publicly rejected the welfare‑cut funding plan.
- Sep 11 Crypto founder Ben Delo has donated £36 million to Reform UK, the largest party contribution on record, as police investigate alleged illegal foreign funding.
- Sep 12 The donation was announced as a record contribution while a police probe into foreign funding continues.
- Sep 12 Christopher Harborne announced a further large gift to Reform UK.
- Sep 13 Burnham faced his first Prime Minister's Questions where opposition members pressed him on funding for his agenda.
- Sep 13 Reform UK received two £36 million crypto donations, totalling £72 million.
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