Sir James Cleverly has said he is the best person to beat Lord Sadiq Khan as Conservative members in London begin voting in the party's mayoral selection process.
The ex-Home Secretary told The Standard: "This is the best chance we've had since 2008. I'm not pretending it's going to be easy but it's definitely doable. That's why I am putting myself forward. I am the best person to beat Khan."
Three candidates on final shortlist
Conservative members in London have been given a final shortlist of three candidates from which to choose. They are ex-Foreign Secretary Sir James, Westminster councillor Festus Akinbusoye and former Richmond Park and North Kingston parliamentary candidate Sara Gezdari.
Sir James is seen as the frontrunner given his experience in the Cabinet, as well as in the London Assembly, and having already won the support of more than half the Tory councillors in London. Businessman Alex Challoner, who had called for police to be stationed at Tube ticket barriers to catch fare dodgers, made a four-strong list but was knocked out by a Conservative selection panel.
Voting timeline and challenges
Voting was starting at midday on Monday with the ballot running until November 18. If a candidate gets 50% or more of the vote, that individual will be announced as the winner the following day. If no-one passes this threshold there will be a second round of voting, starting on Friday November 20, for the final two candidates. This ballot would close on Thursday November 26, with the winner declared the next day.
However, the challenge facing the Tory mayoral contender was laid out by a recent poll showing a Labour surge in London under Andy Burnham, with the Tories having no Westminster seats in 90% of the capital. Several polls have suggested that if Lord Khan stands he would win a fourth term, probably comfortably.
Campaign message
Sir James said: "I am asking London members to back me to send a message that the Conservative are back in London, and we're here to win it." He argued: "We've got a Labour Mayor of London who has frankly been asleep at the wheel. We have an anti-London Prime Minister and an increasingly anti-London government. We have a party leader who is increasingly popular and credible. If we get this right through the candidate selection, and with an integrated campaign, we can win back the confidence of traditional Conservative voters... and win over new voters who agree with us but just don't realise they agree with us yet."
The London Mayor was recently handed sweeping new powers over income tax and business rates which could allow him to borrow £10 billion to fund key transport projects such as the Bakerloo line extension, the West London Orbital and the DLR extension to Thamesmead. The landmark reforms are expected to encourage Lord Khan to seek a fourth term. If he did not, possible contenders to be Labour's candidate include Brent East MP Dawn Butler, ex-Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Tooting MP Rosena Allin-Khan and former Communities Secretary Steve Reed, MP for Streatham and Croydon North.
