Sir James Cleverly has urged London Conservatives to choose him for the 2028 mayoral election, arguing that the party has its best opportunity since 2008 to win City Hall and that he is best placed to defeat Lord Sadiq Khan.

The former Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary is competing against Westminster councillor Festus Akinbusoye and former Richmond Park and North Kingston parliamentary candidate Sara Gezdari. Voting among Conservative members in London opened at midday on Monday and runs until 18 November.

“This is the best chance we've had since 2008,” Cleverly said. “I am the best person to beat Khan.”

His pitch rests on restoring the confidence of traditional Conservative supporters while attracting voters who share the party’s views but do not currently identify with it. He argued that the right candidate, backed by an integrated campaign, could reach both groups, and described the Conservative leader as increasingly popular and credible.

Cleverly also attacked Labour’s leadership in London and nationally, accusing Khan of having been “asleep at the wheel” and describing the Prime Minister and government as anti-London. Those assessments form part of his campaign case for a Conservative alternative, not an established measure of the party’s electoral prospects.

The immediate decision belongs to party members, rather than London’s wider electorate. The final shortlist contains three names, down from an initial four that also included Alex Challoner.

A candidate securing at least 50% of the first-round vote will be declared the winner on 19 November. If nobody reaches that threshold, the leading two will contest a second ballot from 20 to 26 November, with the result announced the following day.

Although Cleverly is framing his campaign around defeating Khan, Labour’s candidate for 2028 remains a separate question. Possible contenders if Khan does not stand again include Brent East MP Dawn Butler, former Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Tooting MP Rosena Allin-Khan and former Communities Secretary Steve Reed, the MP for Streatham and Croydon North.