Susan Hall Chosen As Conservative Candidate For Mayor Of London
4 min read
Susan Hall will be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London at next year's election, after winning 57 per cent of a party membership vote.
The London Assembly member will challenge incumbent Labour's Sadiq Khan when Londoners go to the polls next May.
She was selected after a final membership vote run off among London party members with Mozammel Hossain, who won 43 per cent of the vote.
She has promised to scrap the controversial ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) expansion on her first day in office should she win, and has also made promises on improving the Metropolitan Police.
Announcing the result at the Battle of Britain bunker in west London, Hall said it was a "huge honour" to be selected as the candidate and she will work "tirelessly" to beat Khan.
"We need a safer city where women and girls don't have to fear walking down the street at night.
"We need an inclusive city where you can afford to buy a home. and raise a family.
"We need a kinder city where we can celebrate our cultural diversity and focus on what unites us and not what divides us.
"And of course, we need a cleaner city that is serious about tackling climate change and air pollution, but without taxing the poorest."
The expansion of the £12.50 a day ULEZ charge for all non-compliant vehicles to all London boroughs next month is likely to be a key issue in the upcoming mayoral campaign.
Writing in the Telegraph in May, Hall said the charge "must stop" but that the role of London mayor is "far too important for a single-issue candidate". Her campaign slogan was #SaferWithSusan, and she has said her other focuses will include tackling crime, building homes "in the right places", supporting high streets and to "sort out" the transport system in the capital.
Following the announcement of Hall's win, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner reshared an old tweet of Hall's in which she shared her "joy" at Liz Truss' 'Mini-Budget', which went on to trigger an economic shock last autumn.
Khan will be seen as the favourite to win the contest next 2 May.
A poll by Redfield and Wilton last month indicated that Khan is the favourite to win the mayoral race, with 41 per cent of people questioned saying they intend to back the Labour candidate.
The then-unnamed Tory candidate was on 33 per cent.
Conservative party chairman Greg Hands congratulated Hall and said she will be a "brilliant" candidate.
“I know she has the vision and vigour to take the fight to Sadiq Khan at the next Mayoral Election in May 2024," Hands added.
“Both candidates ran excellent campaigns and I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication to the people of London. Now we unite behind Susan, working together to get this incredible city back on track.”
A spokesperson for London Labour said Hall "couldn't be more out of touch with our city and its values."
They added: “Londoners deserve better than a candidate who represents the worst of the Tory failure and incompetence over the last 13 years."
Hall has been a member of the London Assembly since 2017 and was the leader of the Conservative Party in the Assembly from December 2019 until May this year.
She had been seen as the most likely winner of the Conservative contest after a third candidate, Daniel Korski, withdrew from the race after an allegation that he had groped TV producer Daisy Goodwin while he worked as a Downing Street aide a decade ago. He denies the allegation.
The candidates had been whittled down to a final three last month by Conservative HQ.
Minister for London Paul Scully failed to make the shortlist, and said at the time he was "disappointed". He subsequently backed Hall in the race.
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