Conservatives at City Hall have chosen a new leader and deputy for their party in the London Assembly.
At their AGM on Tuesday, May 2, the Assembly’s nine-strong Tory group selected Neil Garratt as their new leader, who stood uncontested.
Mr Garratt has represented the boroughs of Croydon and Sutton on the Assembly since 2021. He replaces Susan Hall, who had led the group since December 2019.
Mr Garratt said he was “honoured” to take up the post, and paid tribute to Ms Hall’s leadership, crediting her with having “transformed” the party group “into the capable and effective organisation it is today”.
He added that he was “excited to work with my colleagues and Londoners to address the serious challenges London is currently facing under our current Mayor, and set out our vision for how we can achieve a brighter future for our city”.
Mr Garratt, who grew up on a council estate in the Midlands before moving to Sutton more than 20 years ago, also serves as a Sutton councillor.
In a tweet, Ms Hall said she had “stepped down as Leader to focus on other ways to hold this soft-on-crime Mayor to account”.
She said that it had been a “huge privilege” to lead the group and that she was “proud of the progress” her party had made “in holding the Mayor to account and representing the interests of all Londoners”.
Ms Hall remains on the Assembly and also serves as a councillor in Harrow, where she was council leader for a period in 2013-14.
As Conservative group leader, Mr Garratt will serve effectively as Leader of the Opposition on the London Assembly - a body of 25 elected members which scutinises the Mayor of London.
The Assembly comprises 11 Labour members, nine Conservatives, three Greens and two Liberal Democrats.
Mr Garratt’s election does not mean he will be the Tory candidate for Mayor at the next mayoral election in 2024. He has not publicly expressed an interest in running for that post, though two of his colleagues on the Assembly - Andrew Boff and Nick Rogers - have said that they will be putting their names forward.
Former No. 10 advisor Samuel Kasumu is also running for the Mayoral candidacy, as is ex-councillor Duwayne Brooks, while Minister for London Paul Scully MP has said he is considering whether to run.
The party is aiming to have a candidate in place for that role by the end of July. They will be up against Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has said he will be running for a third term in office.
At the City Hall Conservatives’ AGM on Tuesday, Emma Best was elected uncontested as the group’s deputy leader, taking over from Peter Fortune. Ms Best, who was elected to the Assembly in 2021, also serves as leader of the Tory opposition on Waltham Forest Council.
Tony Devenish has meanwhile taken over, again uncontested, as the group’s secretary and party whip - succeeding Mr Garratt in the role.
