London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Oct 19, 2025

Tories seeking ‘star power’ mayor candidate to try and oust Sadiq Khan

Tories seeking ‘star power’ mayor candidate to try and oust Sadiq Khan

Tory chiefs will meet on Monday evening to discuss fast tracking a candidate to take on Sadiq Khan next May
Tory chiefs will meet on Monday night to discuss fast tracking a candidate to take on Sadiq Khan at the next Mayoral election.

The party’s London board is meeting with Conservative Campaign Headquarters to lay out plans to have their contender in place by July.

Senior Conservative officials are believed to want someone with “star power” to take on Labour’s Sadiq Khan, who will fight for a historic third turn at the election next May.

One Tory source told the Standard that “someone like” West Ham vice-chairman and Apprentice star Karren Brady would be a “perfect choice”.

The Conservative life peer said she had no plans to take up elected office in 2013 but has more recently refused to rule out running to lead City Hall.

“She has the star power needed to defeat the incumbent Labour Mayor,” a Tory insider said.

“We need someone like that if we are going to win.”

TV judge Rob Rinder was also touted as a potential candidate by a Sunday newspaper, however he this morning distanced himself from the report.

Government minister Paul Scully has told the Standard he is considering running.

The Sutton and Cheam MP has said the controversial expansion of the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) to outer London boroughs, plus a near £40 council tax hike from City Hall and a six per cent hike in Tube and bus fares will place Mr Khan at greater risk of defeat.

London Assembly members Andrew Boff and Nick Rogers, former Lewisham councillor Duwayne Brooks and Boris Johnson’s ex special advisor Samuel Kasumu have also indicted they would like to run.

Conversations at the meeting tonight will focus on compiling a long-list of contenders.

The fast-tracking plan is subject to approval by the London board.

Any decision on a final candidate will go to a vote of London members after a hustings, a Conservative party source said.

Next May Mr Khan will seek a record third term in City Hall after two resounding victories in 2016 and 2021, in which he secured the two biggest winning majorities in the history of the mayoralty, 315,529 and 228,433 respectively.

However, London Tories have cited Mr Khan controversial Ulez expansion to the outer London boroughs as their “best hope” of winning over voters at the next election and taking control of City Hall for the first time since Boris Johnson’s leadership from 2008 to 2016.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has hinted that the fight against the clean air zone will be an instrumental part of the Conservative’s election campaign in the capital.

Five Tory-run councils - Bexley, Bromley, Harrow, Hillingdon and Surrey Council- cleared the first hurdle of their legal fight against the Ulez earlier this month.

The party also believes it could be boosted by a change to the first past the post voting system, whereby the winner is decided by a simple majority.

Currently, London’s mayor is elected through a more proportional system where voters pick a first and second preference choice.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
×