James Cleverly quits Tory shadow cabinet to launch London mayor bid
Sir James Cleverly has quit the Conservative shadow cabinet and said he will run to be London mayor, setting up an early contest for City
Sir James Cleverly has quit the Conservative shadow cabinet and said he will run to be London mayor, setting up an early contest for City Hall with the race still nearly two years away. The former foreign secretary said London needs “more than an administrator” and wants to be the Tory candidate when voters go to the polls in May 2028.
A bid aimed at City Hall
Cleverly said he had told Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch he was stepping down as shadow housing secretary so he could speak freely about the capital’s future and focus on the campaign. In an article for the Times and the Sunday Times, he said he wanted to make London “a city to be proud of again” and restore its standing at home and abroad.
The MP for Braintree described London as a place that should once again be “the best place in the world to live, work, invest and build a business.” He also argued that the city needed a champion who understood its potential and would fight for it. The move takes him out of the shadow cabinet immediately.
Conservatives look for a challenger
The Conservatives have not yet chosen their candidate for the mayoral race. Cleverly’s departure leaves Badenoch with a vacancy in her top team just as the party prepares for its annual conference in October, where he is expected to make his pitch to members.
A source close to Badenoch said Cleverly “is a formidable politician and will out-campaign Khan.” Another senior Conservative source said she was upset by his decision but accepted it. Cleverly, for his part, said Badenoch “took it very well” and called her “very gracious.”
The timing matters. London is not due to elect a new mayor until May 2028, and Labour incumbent Sir Sadiq Khan has not yet said whether he will seek an unprecedented fourth term. For the Conservatives, the race offers a chance to show they can win in the capital after years of struggle there. For Cleverly, it is a bet that a moderate, well-known figure can cut through in a city that has often leaned Labour.
Why Cleverly matters in the race
Cleverly is one of the most senior Conservatives in Parliament and has held several major ministerial posts, including foreign secretary under Rishi Sunak and home secretary. He also ran for the party leadership and lost to Badenoch, making his mayoral move part campaign launch, part test of his standing inside the party.
He framed the contest as bigger than party politics. London, he wrote, has seen its reputation slip while too many problems have been left to fester. His argument is blunt: the capital needs leadership that can do more than manage the day-to-day. The next step is clear enough. He will campaign from the backbenches, and the Conservatives will have to decide whether his appeal is enough to turn a long-shot bid into a serious challenge at City Hall.
