James Cleverly has resigned from the shadow cabinet to run for mayor of London.
The Tory heavyweight, who was once home and foreign secretary and is shadow minister for housing, communities and local government, told the Sunday Times he will resign with immediate effect.
The MP for Braintree, who lost his bid to lead the Conservatives to Kemi Badenoch, is considered a more moderate voice in a party that has lurched to the right. On breaking the news to Badenoch, Cleverly told the Sunday Times: “She took it very well. Kemi has been very gracious.”
He added: “Our route to getting Kemi in No 10 has got to be through success in London,” he said. “It’s a business city, entrepreneurialism, arts, culture. I don’t buy the lazy idea that London is a Labour city. It represents the philosophical heart of the Conservative party.”
Cleverly’s resignation comes in advance of the Conservative party conference in October, where he is expected to make his case to party members.
According to the Sunday Times, sources close to Badenoch said she was “gutted” about the news but added that she “is delighted that someone of his calibre wants to put himself forward to be Conservative nominee for mayor of London”.
Cleverly had kind words for Badenoch. “Frankly, Kemi is doing really well now. She’s getting great cut-through. It took longer than any of us would have liked, but she’s getting it,” he said.
Sadiq Khan is halfway through his third term as mayor. He has not stated whether he will run for a fourth term in the contest to be held in May 2028. Susan Hall was the Tory candidate in 2024 but lost to Khan, who was declared the winner with 43.8% of the vote.
If Khan does step down, the Labour MP for Brent Central and Brent South, Dawn Butler, is expected to throw her hat in the ring, having previously revealed her desire for the job.
Cleverly is the most senior Tory politician to run for mayor of London in recent times. Making his bid, he said Khan was “asleep at the wheel” and accused him of using the role as a stepping stone for a higher-profile position.
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“Sadiq has been trying to get out of that job for quite a while. He went in with the intention of doing what Boris [Johnson] did, using it as a high-profile platform to get him his next big job in government. There has been lots of posturing, very little delivery. Lots of picking rows with the president of America, less focus on bringing down street crime. It wouldn’t surprise me if he bows out for 2028. He’s lost the passion for the job.”
Days before Keir Starmer stood down as prime minister, he handed Khan a peerage, potentially opening the door to him joining Andy Burnham’s cabinet in future. However, while Burnham and Khan have worked closely together over the years and have a shared understanding of the challenges of devolution, it is understood Khan has told the former Manchester mayor that he has no wish to be a minister in his government.
