Cleverly Resigns Shadow Cabinet Post for London Mayoral Bid
Former Shadow Housing Secretary steps down, igniting mayoral race amid claims of 'war on London' and a challenging electoral landscape.
Sarah Connor
James Cleverly has resigned from the shadow Cabinet to launch his campaign for Mayor of London.
A recent poll for the Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London, places Labour at 33%, Reform UK at 20%, and the Conservatives at 18%. The Greens secured 14%, with the Liberal Democrats trailing at 10%.
Sadiq Khan, first elected mayor in 2016, secured 43.8% of the vote in 2024, defeating Conservative candidate Susan Hall.
A YouGov survey found 56% of Londoners believe Sadiq Khan should step down, yet he is expected to run for a fourth term as mayor.
If Sadiq Khan steps out of the running, Dawn Butler is expected to stand.
Laila Cunningham stands as a Reform London Mayor candidate; Kemi Badenoch stated she would remain neutral on the Conservative selection process for a party candidate.
Sir James, who held the shadow housing, communities and local government brief since last July, denied he had resigned from the shadow cabinet to run for mayor after a shift to the right under Badenoch’s leadership.
Cleverly's victory in the capital would reportedly serve as a stepping stone for Kemi Badenoch to become prime minister.
Cleverly is also understood to be using his attempt to become mayor as a route to become the next Conservative leader; he is expected to run a more moderate campaign than Susan Hall, who lost to Sadiq Khan in 2024.
The UK cannot be successful as a country unless London is successful as a city.
Sir James criticized Andy Burnham, stating, "The fact is Andy Burnham, for all his careful phraseology, is basically very, very anti-London."
He added, "You can see this not just in what he’s saying but what he’s doing. He’s stripping hundreds of millions of pounds out of the budget of London councils."
Sir James further asserted, "He is blaming London for London’s own success. The UK cannot be successful as a country unless London is successful as a city."
He continued, "And I see this in Braintree. Andy Burnham just doesn’t get it….He’s got a war with London, and London needs someone to fight its corner."
It is a centralising of power in Andy Burnham’s favoured place, which is, you know, in his own backyard, and everyone else is going to suffer. And London particularly, because he is putting forward a very anti-London agenda.
Sir James also claimed, "It is a centralising of power in Andy Burnham’s favoured place, which is, you know, in his own backyard, and everyone else is going to suffer."
He concluded, "And London particularly, because he is putting forward a very anti-London agenda."
Under the Government's fairer funding review, some London councils face cuts to funding settlements as part of a bid to redirect cash to more deprived areas.
This review was launched during Sir Keir Starmer's premiership, a period when Boris Johnson won the London mayoralty in 2008 before the Conservatives won the 2010 general election.