Sir James Cleverly has said mayoral candidates cannot “credibly” stand for election to run London while “obviously” hating the city, in remarks which will be interpreted as a swipe at Reform UK.
The former home secretary, who this week announced he is stepping down as shadow housing secretary to bid for the Conservative nomination for London mayor, made the comments when asked about claims from Reform’s mayoral candidate, Laila Cunningham, that the capital is unsafe.
Cunningham said this week that her children are “petrified” to visit Shepherd’s Bush following a stabbing, and has frequently characterised London as gripped by crime, telling The i Paper last year that there are “no safe parts” in the capital.
Asked directly about her comments, Cleverly told The i Paper: “I’m not here to talk about her. Let her talk about her and let her justify her statements.”
He argued responsibility for crime in the capital lay with the current mayor, Lord Sadiq Khan, adding that London’s performance on crime had been “an outlier” compared with the rest of the UK during his time as home secretary.
But he went on to criticise those who often depict London as afflicted by crime, adding: “I don’t think you can credibly be the candidate for mayor of London if you obviously hate the city you’re trying to get elected for. I love London. I’m unapologetic about that.”
A Reform UK spokesperson said that if “James Cleverly thinks that crime is not an issue in London then he’s even more out-of-touch than we originally thought”.
They added: “London needs a mayor that is realistic about the issues the city faces, not one that will turn a blind eye to them.”
‘Burnham will help me win in London’
Cleverly, however, insisted the mayoral contest was fundamentally a two-way fight “between the Labour Party and the Conservatives”.
He dismissed suggestions that Reform posed a serious threat to his campaign, adding: “We can all see that Reform is well past their peak.”
Instead, Cleverly turned his fire on Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who he accused of treating London as a “cash cow” and “going to war with London” by “taking hundreds of millions of pounds out of London council’s budgets”.
Rather than damaging his prospects, Cleverly suggested Burnham’s approach to the capital would work in his favour: “The Labour Party, and particularly Burnham, with his blatant attack on London, is probably going to be one of my greatest assets in winning the mayoral election if I’m selected as our candidate, because Londoners can see it.”
He argued that Londoners “need a champion” and would respond to a candidate willing to “fight for London”.
Cleverly is no stranger to high-profile contests, having unsuccessfully run against Kemi Badenoch to become Conservative leader in 2024.
Cleverly rules out hopes of becoming prime minister
Asked whether he hoped to follow in the footsteps of Boris Johnson, who went on to become prime minister after being London mayor, Cleverly dismissed the suggestion.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said. “People have been watching too much House of Cards.”
He said his focus was on ensuring Kemi Badenoch became the next Conservative prime minister, and that winning in London would be “a really important stepping stone” towards that goal.
Looking ahead, Cleverly said securing the Conservative nomination was his immediate priority. “I take absolutely nothing for granted,” he said, adding: “London deserves someone who is passionate and willing to work hard.”
His campaign said he had received more than 100 endorsements from councillors, London Assembly Members and MPs within 24 hours of announcing his bid – around a third of the Conservative Party’s elected representatives in London.
Cleverly has not yet been confirmed as the Conservative candidate for mayor. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, has said she wants to identify the strongest possible challenger to Khan, or whoever Labour selects, and has invited other potential contenders to come forward.
The London mayoral election is due to take place in May 2028.