The shadow housing secretary described Mayor of London as ‘an incredibly important job’ when asked about a 2028 run reports Kumail Jaffer, Local Democracy Reporter

Conservative shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverley speaks at the London Housing Summit 2026 (credit Centre for London/Juliana Vasquez)

Former Conservative cabinet minister Sir James Cleverly has refused to rule out an attempt to become the Mayor of London in 2028.

The former London Assembly Member, who grew up in the capital but is now the MP for Braintree, said it would be “daft for anyone who is passionate about politics not to at least consider” going for the role.

As shadow housing secretary, he has consistently taken aim at Sir Sadiq Khan’s record and vowed to rewrite the London Plan if the Tories enter government.

Prior to becoming an MP, he sat on the London Assembly for eight years, including becoming the leader of the Conservative group between 2011 and 2012.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has spoken to several party colleagues in Westminster and City Hall, most of whom tip Sir James as the most likely candidate in two years’ time.

After laying out his party’s vision to solving the housing crisis in London, the veteran MP arguably gave his strongest hint yet that he was considering a challenge for the top job in City Hall.

“I’ve been consistent and honest about this,” he told the LDRS.

“It is a really, really important job. When London goes well, when London gets it right, it benefits the whole country. I’m a Home Counties MP, [but] even my fairly rural bit of North Essex is suffering, because Sadiq Khan is getting it so badly wrong in London.

“And [being] born and brought up in London, serving on London Assembly. It pains me to watch London being so badly run.

“But that said, I love being an MP. I love Braintree, and it would be, again, a heart wrenching decision to step away from that.

“It’s a really important job. It’ll be daft for anyone who’s passionate about politics, not to at least consider it, but it would be a very high bar for me to step away.”

Other Tory figures rumoured to be interested include former Olympic Champion and London 2012 architect Lord Sebastian Coe, though he has not publicly commented on any run.

Only Reform UK have announced their candidate for 2028, Westminster Councillor Laila Cunningham.

Sir Sadiq Khan, meanwhile, has given mixed messages as to whether he will go for a record fourth term as Mayor of London.

Should he not run, Labour MP Dawn Butler is believed to be gunning for the Labour candidacy.

The 2028 London mayoral election is due to be fought under the supplementary vote system, which allows voters to choose their first and second preference candidates, rather than the traditional “first past the post” system that was used for the first time in 2024.

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