Finally the Conservatives could have a decent and recognisable candidate for Mayor of London. Zac Goldsmith has told the Standard that he wants to put himself forward for the Tory nomination – after a string of senior Conservatives tried to persuade him to do it. So far those interested were either known only within the Tory hierarchy, or keen not to mention that they were Conservatives.
Goldsmith has a similar independent brand as Boris Johnson: he has rebelled enough times in the last Parliament to suggest that he would be someone prepared to stand up to the Tory leadership in Westminster to get a good deal for London, which is rather the point of a directly-elected mayor. He also managed to increase his majority in Richmond Park from 4,091 to 23,015 in this election, which shows his campaigning prowess in a city not naturally friendly to the Conservatives. He is running a postal ballot of his constituents on whether he should stand or not.
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