Sir James Cleverly has declared his candidacy for the Conservative nomination for Mayor of London, setting his sights on unseating the incumbent, Sadiq Khan, in the May 2028 election. Cleverly, who is stepping down as shadow housing secretary and will not defend his Braintree parliamentary seat, has outlined a platform focused on addressing London's crime rates, supporting motorists, and revitalizing the capital's global standing.
Cleverly, a former Cabinet minister and MP for Braintree, has signaled his intention to "go to war" with Khan over policies affecting drivers, while also vowing to combat rising crime, including knife crime, murders, and muggings. He specifically cited concerns about "Rolex gangs terrorizing rich shoppers in Mayfair" and "tent encampments popping up every so often on Park Lane," along with plunging property prices and anxiety within London's Jewish community.
"Everyone has a right to be safe – everyone," Cleverly stated, adding that "there has been political cowardice in some quarters where people are unable to say that behaviour is unacceptable." He criticized Khan's performance, calling it "massively underperforming, nowhere near as energetic or passionate as he should have been and asleep at the wheel when it comes to crime."
Cleverly also targeted Khan's past public disputes with Donald Trump, describing the conflict as "totally counterproductive and amplifying unfair and inaccurate criticism of London around the world." He expressed similar disapproval of Andy Burnham, alleging that Burnham "buys into lazy anti-London stereotypes – he thinks everyone here is rich, that London has more than its fair share, and forgets how much we contribute."
Cleverly, 57, has a background that includes service as an Army Reserves officer, running a publishing company, and working as the Mayor of London's Youth Ambassador. Born in Lewisham, he is the son of a white surveyor from Wiltshire and a mother from Sierra Leone. He described his childhood as happy, despite experiencing racism. His early political awareness was shaped by the Winter of Discontent in 1978, which he recalled as a period of disruption affecting his mother.
He met his wife, Susie, at university, and they have two sons. Cleverly shared personal anecdotes about his life, including his wife's battle with breast cancer and his stress-relief method of painting Warhammer figures. He acknowledged past gaffes, such as a tweet calling a politician "a d[re-gated character]" and describing a constituency as a "s<re-gated character>-hole," as well as a controversial joke about sedating his wife. He emphasized the importance of owning mistakes, apologizing, and moving on.
Cleverly has made a significant commitment to his mayoral ambitions, stating, "Well then I've burned all my boats, haven't I? I've made a very big and public commitment to this job. I can't go back to Braintree with my tail between my legs. So I've got to throw everything at it. There is no parachute. No safety net. No Plan B. I am all in."
His political philosophy, he explained, is influenced by Ronald Reagan, whose approach he described as not needing to "demonise anyone or be negative and divisive or angry to get things done." Cleverly aims to champion London's strengths, stating, "When I see videos of London, I want to see positive stuff. I want to make sure that London is buzzing and safe and clean. And I will."