Sir James Cleverly has confirmed he is stepping down as an MP to run as the Conservative candidate for London mayor in the May 2028 election, setting up a direct challenge to incumbent Sadiq Khan. The former Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary argues Khan has been "asleep at the wheel" on crime and has waged an unnecessary campaign against motorists, and he believes he is well placed to win back a traditionally Labour-leaning capital for the Tories.

Cleverly, 57, points to rising knife crime, muggings, so-called "Rolex gangs" targeting shoppers in Mayfair, homeless encampments on Park Lane and falling property prices as evidence of Khan's underperformance during his fourth term, alongside TfL strikes and anger over the Ulez expansion. Despite this, he says he wants to run a positive campaign in the mould of Ronald Reagan rather than a negative one, citing the failed 2024 bid of fellow Tory Susan Hall as a cautionary example, while also addressing concerns about safety among London's Jewish community and reacting to a recent stabbing in Shepherd's Bush.