Candidates looking to become the next Mayor of London are now launching their campaigns with all nominees having been announced.
The May 2 election will be held alongside several other elections scheduled for the same day with other local elections taking place across the UK such as the by-election for Blackpool South’s vacant seat.
Not only is it a big day in the UK electoral calendar, but it’s also the first time the mayoral election will rely on a first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system.
Greater London Returning Officer, Mary Harpley, said: “The Mayor and the London Assembly hold important and powerful roles. The winning Mayoral candidate will be responsible for issues that affect every Londoner – from transport and policing to housing and the environment. 2021 saw a record number of 20 Mayoral candidates. In 2024, there will be 13 candidates for the capital’s voters to choose from.”
Read how to register and find out what you need to bring on election day.
Here are the runners and riders for the election.
Labour Party
Sadiq Khan, 53, has said he wants to “send a message” to the Tories by standing for a third term as London Mayor.
The incumbent has pointed to his environmental and council house-building policies as achievements of his tenure. He will aim to build on Labour’s strong lead in the national opinion metrics.
Conservative Party
Susan Hall, 69, is a London Assembly member and former council leader. She beat Mozammel Hossain to become the Tories’ mayoral candidate with 57 per cent of the votes in July 2023.
If she beats Mr Khan in May, she will become the first female London Mayor. She would also be the first Tory candidate to win since Boris Johnson in 2012.
Liberal Democrats
Rob Blackie, 51, is an anti-Brexit campaigner and adviser to start-up technology companies who ran under the slogan “Bolder with Blackie”.
On becoming the Liberal Democrats’ mayoral candidate in August 2023, Mr Blackie said the Metropolitan Police had on Mr Khan’s watch lost sight of action on rape and serious crime. He said officers had prioritised “trivial” offences such as possession of cannabis or laughing gas.
Green Party
Hackney councillor Zoe Garbett stood in 2021 and will again lead the Green Party in this election.
Ms Garbett has put rising London rent prices at the top of her agenda, calling for a two-year rent freeze to calm an “out-of-control” housing market.
Reform UK
In May 2023, Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party) nominated Howard Cox — the Fair Fuel UK campaign founder — as their mayoral candidate.
If elected, Mr Cox has vowed to scrap the Ulez and low-traffic neighbourhoods — and reduce fuel duty.
Independent
Shyam Batra is a property and finance broker who wants to “give people a voice”.
An independent candidate, he promises to abolish the Ulez, the congestion zone and 20mph speed limits.
Count Binface Party
The joke candidate has kept his manifesto relatively secret. However, he previously suggested he wanted to change the name of London Bridge to Phoebe Waller-bridge — among other quirky pledges.
“Despite all the flaws of the British democratic system, isn't it remarkable that there is still this wonderful quirk that if you want to dress up like an idiot and stand next to the prime minister of the day, then you can,” said Count Binface, a satirical political candidate created by the British comedian Jonathan David Harvey in 2018.
Independent
Natalie Campbell was originally longlisted to be the Tory candidate, but failed to make the party’s shortlist. Not long afterwards, she announced that he would be running as an independent, setting out her stall as a “centrist, middle of the road candidate”.
She has said she would look to progress the Bakerloo line extension into south-east London, and would create more ‘mayoral development corporations’ to ensure the right homes are built “in the right places”.
Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Amy Gallagher is a nurse and said she has seen the city change through her hospital work.
She rose to prominence after it was reported in 2022 that she was suing the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. She alleged discrimination based on race, religion and philosophical belief, as well as victimisation and harassment.
Independent
Tarun Ghulati, an investment banker running as an independent, has pledged to "get London moving again", while strengthening community cohesion and improving policing.
He has promised to completely scrap the Ulez and to remove the congestion charge on weekends, as well as pledging to re-open closed police stations in areas with high crime rates.
Independent
Independent candidate Andreas Michli is a gym owner from Haringey who has promised to provide free gym memberships for all Londoners, paid for by City Hall.
He has also said that he would impose “significantly higher physical standards” for new Met Police recruits, which would be “closer to military standards”. Police officers would also all be trained “in defensive martial arts”. He has proposed abolishing the capital’s net zero targets.
London Real Party
Former Wall Street banker Brian Rose has also confirmed that he’s running for a second time under his party, London Real.
The American has lived in the UK for more than two decades and wants the capital to embrace a new figure that isn’t tied to the political establishment.
Britain First
Nick Scanlon is standing for the far right party - which is on the ballot for the first time.
He is also standing to be a member of the London Assembly and is aiming his campaign to oppose the policies of Mr Khan.
The full list
AMIN Femy Animal Welfare Party – People, Animals, Environment
BINFACE Count Count Binface for Mayor of London
BLACKIE Rob Liberal Democrat
CAMPBELL Natalie Denise Independent
COX Howard ReformUK – London Deserves Better
GALLAGHER Amy Social Democratic Party
GARBETT Zoë Green Party
GHULATI Tarun Independent
HALL Susan Mary The Conservative Party Candidate
KHAN Sadiq Labour Party
MICHLI Andreas Christoffi Independent
ROSE Brian Benedict London Real Party – Transform London
SCANLON Nick Britain First – No To Immigration
