Syed Kamall, the Conservative leader in the European Parliament, has entered the race to be the party’s Mayor of London candidate. The field now consists of Kamall, Andrew Boff, Sol Campbell, Stephen Greenhalgh, Ivan Massow and Zac Goldsmith, Kamall announced this afternoon he is ‘really excited about the prospect of doing this.’ In a statement announcing his candidacy, Kamall pointed out that he’s a ‘Londoner born and bred’:
‘I look forward to having some robust conversations and debates over the coming months about the issues which affect our city. We need to tackle some of the most important things like housing and transport but we also need to ensure that everyone in our city enjoys the full fruits of London’s success.’
With blue collar back-story similar to Sajid Javid, Kamall comes from a very different background to his main rival, the Eton-educated MP for Richmond Zac Goldsmith:
‘My father worked as a bus driver. This city gave my parents and me so many opportunities but London also presents us with challenges. Like many people, I’ve had to make some tough choices about where I can afford to live and bring up my own family. We need to deal with issues like this.’
Although Kamall doesn’t have a big national profile, he is popular with Tory activists in the capital and his entry into the Mayoral race will ensure it is not a coronation for Goldsmith. According to Ladbrokes, the Richmond MP is still the favourite to win at 1/4, compared to Kamall on 6/1. With a second heavyweight candidate in the race, CCHQ can hope to get London activists involved in the selection and ensure all of the candidates can refine their ideas before the fight with Labour begins.
Boris Johnson became Mayor essentially on his personality alone. Even if Goldsmith bags the nomination, having a substantial figure like Kamall in the race will ensure that he has to develop a proper policy platform. And if Goldsmith wins, Kamall would make an excellent deputy.
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