Sir James Cleverly has accused Andy Burnham of waging a "war on London" as he launched his bid to become the capital's Conservative mayoral candidate, arguing the Prime Minister's devolution agenda favours his native Manchester at London's expense. The former foreign and home secretary quit his shadow cabinet role as housing spokesman to run for City Hall, setting up a potential contest with Labour's Sir Sadiq Khan, who has yet to confirm whether he will seek a fourth term in May 2028.

Cleverly claimed Burnham was "stripping hundreds of millions of pounds" from London councils' budgets, referring to the Government's fairer funding review, which redirects money towards more deprived areas and has prompted Tory-led councils including Westminster, Wandsworth and Kensington & Chelsea to warn of tax rises or service cuts. He also criticised Burnham's plan for a "No10 North" office in Manchester, which cost taxpayers almost £49,000 to set up, including nearly £1,000 for a replica Downing Street door. Cleverly will campaign from the backbenches and is standing down from his Braintree seat, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said to be "very supportive" of his move.