James Cleverly quits Shadow Cabinet to run for London mayor

Sir James Cleverly has said he is resigning from the Shadow Cabinet to run for London mayor. “I am putting myself forward to be the Conservative candidate for mayor of London, because our capital needs more than an administrator,” the Conservative MP wrote in The Sunday Times. He is understood to have resigned from his role as shadow housing secretary effective immediately, after informing Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch of his plan on Thursday. A former home and foreign secretary, Cleverly lost out to Badenoch on his 2024 Conservative leadership bid – and now has his sights set on leading the capital. The next mayoral election is expected in May 2028, and incumbent mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has not yet confirmed if he plans to run for a fourth term. A source close to Badenoch revealed she is “gutted” to lose Cleverly, but “delighted that someone of his calibre wants to put himself forward to be Conservative nominee for mayor of London”. They added: “She really wants someone to take on Sadiq Khan, as he is destroying the London she loves.” Cleverly, 56, is not guaranteed to run as the Tory candidate in the election, as he will have to win the party’s nomination to be able to stand. It is thought that Cleverly was keen to make the decision before the Tory party conference, due to be held in Birmingham in early October. His resignation also means Badenoch will be able to replace him fairly soon in her shadow cabinet reshuffle anticipated for next month. The MP for Braintree, Essex, accused Labour mayor Sadiq Khan of being “asleep at the wheel”. He told The Sunday Times: “There has been lots of posturing, very little delivery. Lots of picking rows with the president of America, less focus on bringing down street crime.” Cleverly also speculated that Khan may choose not to stand for re-election in 2028, meaning he could face up against a different Labour candidate – saying the current mayor has “lost the passion for the job”. This is a breaking news story and is being updated.