Paul Scully has been an MP for nearly a decade
(Picture: Houses of Parliament / PA)Paul Scully, who is the current Minister for London, exclusively told the Evening Standard that he would consider running to become London’s next mayor in the 2024 elections if he thought he was the “best-placed person” to defeat Labour’s Sadiq Khan.
He explained: “I’m ambitious for London, but not for me.”
Scully believes that the current Mayor of London’s decision to expand the ultra-low emission zone to the Greater London boundary, combined with council tax and public-transport hikes, will increase the risk of Khan being voted out.
If you find yourself wondering who Mr Scully is ahead of the 2024 mayoral elections, here is everything we know.
Who is Paul Scully?
Paul Scully is a Rugby native who completed his education at the University of Reading, before moving to London and running a series of small businesses.
He joined the Conservative Party after the 1997 general election, and started his political career as a local councillor and a parliamentary aide.
In 2015, he became the Sutton and Cheam MP, defeating Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat incumbent that had held the seat since 1997.
Proud of his diverse background, in a parliamentary debate, Scully shared: “I am, I believe, the first Member of the British Parliament to be of Burmese heritage.”
He has been active in the human-rights issues in Myanmar as the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group dedicated to the matter, and campaigned for Brexit at the 2016 EU referendum.
He was re-elected as the Sutton and Cheam MP in both 2017 and 2019.
In February 2020, Mr Scully joined the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers, and Labour Markets. He was also appointed as the new Minister for London.
In July 2022, he became a Minister at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities.
After Rishi Sunak became the Prime Minister in October 2022, Mr Scully was also appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy.
