Thursday 30 July 2015

London mayoral election: The contenders

The major parties have announced their shortlisted candidates for the London mayoral election in May 2016. Who are the runners and riders?

Conservative mayoral candidates

Andrew Boff, Zac Goldsmith, Stephen Greenhalgh and Syed Kamall

Conservatives

Andrew Boff: A member of the London Assembly and leader of the Conservative Group, Andrew Boff is an advocate of electoral reform who says he wants to "make London a more liveable place for families". He has stood unsuccessfully for mayor of Hackney and worked as an IT consultant.
Zac Goldsmith: The MP for Richmond upon Thames decided to stand for the mayoralty after getting the approval of constituents in a referendum. He is known for his opposition to a third runway at Heathrow and as a former editor of Ecologistmagazine. Some members of the Green Party have urged voters to consider him for their second-preference votes.
Stephen Greenhalgh: Another sitting Assembly Member and deputy mayor for policing, Stephen Greenhalgh was previously a councillor for Hammersmith and Fulham. He reduced council tax five times during his leadership of the council, and has made cutting transport fares a key part of his mayoral bid.
Syed Kamall: An MEP since 2005, he is currently the leader of the Conservative Party in the European Parliament. He was an adviser to businesses on international strategy before becoming an MEP. Announcing his decision to stand, he paid tribute to his immigrant parents and said he wanted to ensure everyone benefited from London's prosperity.
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Labour London mayoral candidates
Diane Abbott, Tessa Jowell, Sadiq Khan, David Lammy, Gareth Thomas and Christian Wolmar
Diane Abbott: The veteran MP has represented Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987. Despite a brief stint in the shadow cabinet, she is perhaps better-known for attacking Labour Party policy. She has emphasised the need for property revenues to be devolved to London, but does not support proposals for a mansion tax.
Dame Tessa Jowell: Before May, she had been the MP for Dulwich since 1992. A New Labour insider, she held ministerial positions under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, and co-ordinated London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics. She has argued her track record in government would give her an advantage as mayor.
Sadiq Khan: The MP for Tooting and ally of former Labour leader Ed Miliband has been shadow justice secretary since 2010. He has come up with a host of pledges since he launched his candidacy, including quotas for black police officers in the Met and a ban on separate entrances for affordable housing.
David Lammy: The former minister for universities grew up in his Tottenham constituency and worked for his predecessor Bernie Grant before rising to ministerial positions in the Labour Party. He has been vocal about the need for social cohesion and economic opportunity in the wake of the 2011 riots, which began in Tottenham.
Gareth Thomas: The MP for Harrow West retained his marginal seat in May's election, and has spoken frequently about the need to reinvigorate outer London. He is also chair of the Labour-affiliated Co-operative Party and says he wants to bring values of "mutualism" to City Hall, as well as more powers to control private sector rents.
Christian Wolmar: Unique among the Labour hopefuls in never having been an MP, he is an established commentator and campaigner on transport improvements in the capital. He might be less well-known than other Labour contenders but he argues this puts him at an advantage because for him it is not a "career move".
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Duwayne Brooks / Caroline Pidgeon
Duwayne Brooks and Caroline Pidgeon are among those who have applied to be the Lib Dem candidate

Liberal Democrats

Duwayne Brooks: Brooks was a friend of Stephen Lawrence who was with the teenager when he was murdered in 1993. He was a Lib Dem councillor for Lewisham between 2009 and 2014, and has recently criticised the police's undercover policing methods.
Brian Haley: The former Labour councillor for Haringey defected to the Lib Dems in 2010 and stood unsuccessfully for the Lib Dem nomination for the 2012 race. He has emphasised the need for the mayor to represent multicultural London.
Teena Lashmore: A criminologist and community activist who was the party's candidate in Bethnal Green and Bow in the general election. She has written about the need to make housing affordable for employees from all sectors.
Caroline Pidgeon: She is the leader of the Lib Dems on the London Assembly, leading their work on transport, policing and education in the capital. She launched her mayoral campaign from a nursery in Islington and is expected to make affordable childcare one of her key platforms.
Marisha Ray: A former Lib Dem councillor in Islington, she has also served on the NHS Trust board of University College Hospital. She took a lead on community safety as a councillor and has focused on the need to fight child poverty in London.
Paul Reynolds: A former councillor who has concentrated on problems posed by London's expanding population and falling relative average incomes.
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Jonathan Bartley / Sian Berry
Two of the Greens' shortlisted candidates are Jonathan Bartley and Sian Berry

Green Party

Jonathan Bartley: The director of Christian think tank Ekklesia stood for the Greens in Streatham in the general election. He says he wants to work for a "credible alternative to austerity".
Sian Berry: The Green councillor for Camden was the party's candidate for mayor back in 2008, and says she wants to find solutions to London's "inequality, dirty air, and a broken housing system".
Tom Chance: A spokesperson for the Greens and head of office for the party at the London Assembly. So far in the campaign he has concentrated on support for small businesses.
Benali Hamdache: The Greens' equalities spokesperson previously worked in the NHS on mental health research and has pledged to prioritise fighting unemployment among ethnic minorities.
Rashid Nix: A former cameraman who stood for the Greens in Dulwich and West Norwood, he has highlighted the need for civic engagement and higher voting turnout across London's communities.
Caroline Russell: The councillor for Islington and clean air campaigner has said she wants to show how London's economic prosperity can sit alongside a "green revolution".
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Siobhan Benita, George Galloway and Lindsey Garrett
Siobhan Benita, George Galloway and Lindsey Garrett are all standing for mayor

Others

Siobhan Benita: The former civil servant ran for mayor in 2012 with high-profile backers including former Cabinet Secretary Lord O'Donnell. She was the only candidate to back a third runway at Heathrow.
George Galloway: After losing his Bradford West seat in May, the Respect Party's George Galloway announced he would stand for mayor, vowing to clamp down on what he described as the "social cleansing" of the city.
Lindsey Garrett: A housing activist who, alongside Russell Brand, campaigned against the eviction of families from the New Era estate in Hoxton.
This page will be updated as candidates enter and leave the race.
Page update and source BBC News