Just who are the London Mayoral candidates for in the 2021 election?
Sadiq Khan, Labour
The current Mayor Sadiq Khan is looking to be elected for a second term as Mayor of London, a post he’s held since 2016 when he took over from Boris Johnson.
He won last time out with 57% of votes after the second preference votes were counted, defeating his Conservative rival former Richmond Park MP and current Baron of Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith.
Some key policies that Khan has brought in as Mayor include the Hopper fare, the Night Tube, and the Ultra Low Emissions Zone.
He was formerly MP for Tooting from 2005 to 2016 and served as Minister of State for Transport under Gordon Brown.
Prior to politics he was a human rights lawyer.
Shaun Bailey, Conservative
Shaun Bailey has been a Conservative London Assembly Member since 2016.
The former youth worker is the GLA Conservatives spokesperson for the economy and serves as Deputy Chairman of the Economy Committee on the London Assembly.
He stood as a candidate for Hammersmith in the 2010 General Election losing to current MP Andy Slaughter.
In 2012 Bailey served as special adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron on youth and crime.
He is promising to recruit more than 8,000 extra police officers and reverse the Congestion Charge increase if elected.
Sian Berry, Green Party
Sian Berry has been Co-Leader of the Green Party since 2018 serving alongside Lambeth councillor Jonathan Bartley.
She is currently a member of the London Assembly, sitting on the Police and Crime and Housing Committees.
She has also been a local councillor for Highgate ward in Camden since 2014 and was a Mayoral candidate in 2008 and 2016 winning 3.2% and 5.8% of the vote respectively.
She has campaigned on increasing funding to youth services and recently brought motion to City Hall calling for the Mayor to trial a Universal Basic Income in London.
Luisa Porritt, Liberal Democrats
Luisa Porritt was not initially going to be the Liberal Democrats candidate for Mayor, but Siobhan Benita withdrew as Lib Dem candidate in July because of the postponement of the Mayoral election due to coronavirus.
The former journalist and fluent French speaker has been a councillor for Belsize ward in Camden since 2018 and the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Camden Council since September 2020.
She was also a Member of European Parliament for London from 2019 until all UK MEPs left the parliament in 2020.
Her policies include converting empty office space into affordable housing.
Dr Peter Gammons, UKIP
Dr Peter Gammons describes himself as a motivational and inspirational speaker, broadcaster, and author.
His policies include converting millions of miles of unused tunnels beneath London into walking and cycling lanes and opposing Government lockdowns.
Mandu Reid, Women’s Equality Party
Mandu Reid was born in Malawi to a Malawian mother and English father and is the leader of the Women’s Equality Party.
She is the first first black and bisexual leader of a political party in the UK.
Prior to being a politician she worked in project management for HM Treasury and the Greater London Authority working under all three London Mayors.
Her policies include making sure no woman is turned away from refuge and making London the first gender equal city in the world.
Count Binface, Independent
Count Binface, formerly known as Lord Buckethead, is perhaps most famous for standing against Theresa May in 2017 and Boris Johnson in 2019 where he got 249 and 69 votes respectively.
He currently has a GoFundMe to finance his Mayoral campaign saying that if he raises £1,000 he will stand as a constituency candidate, a London-wide candidate if he raises £5,000, and Mayor if he can raise £10,000, with any money left over donated to Shelter to combat homelessness.
As of time of writing the current total stands at £2,715.
His policies include making London join the EU and renaming London Bridge Phoebe Waller.
Drillminister, Independent
Born and raised in south east London, Drillminister as he is likely to be listed on the ballot because it is his ‘commonly used name’, is a drill rapper who has 4,763 monthly listeners on Spotify.
The mask wearing candidate is best known for his track Political Drillin’, a collaboration with Channel 4, where the lyrics are made up of the violent language used by MPs.
His policies include creating a contactless card to provide food, clothing and shelter for homeless people, and diversifying the Metropolitan Police Service.
Farah London, Independent
Farah London is a Croydon born entrepreneur and is the founder of digital branding and events firm Chameleon Jungle and international networking forum Back 2 Business International.
She is a former Conservative Party campaigner and used to work as a broker and underwriter for Lloyds of London.
Her policies include making council tax exempt for tenants under 25, and getting 6,000 more officers and special constables on the beat.
David Kurten, Independent
David Kurten is a member of the London Assembly being elected as a UKIP candidate in 2016 but resigned from the party in 2018 over Tommy Robinson’s appointment as advisor to then UKIP leader Gerard Batten.
Before entering politics, the leader of the newly established Heritage Party was a chemistry teacher.
His policies include ending politically correct policing and digging up cycle superhighways to return them to motor vehicles.
Winston McKenzie, Unity In Action
Winston McKenzie is the founder & Leader of Unity In Action party, he has previously been a member of Labour, Liberal Democrats, Veritas, Conservatives, Unity Party, UKIP, and English Democrats as well as standing as an independent.
In 2016, the former boxer was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother and was the first to be eliminated.
His policies include regaining control of London’s borders and deploying peacekeeping army units on the streets.
Charlie Mullins, Independent
Charlie Mullins is best known for being the founder of Pimlico Plumbers.
The former Conservative donor ditching his party, decided to run for Mayor after saying that the Conservatives have ditched London.
His policies include making travel for all registered apprentices under the age of 25 free on the Underground and the bus network.
Nims Obunge, Independent
Nims Obunge, son of a Nigerian ambassador, is a former pastor and head of the anti-crime and anti-violence charity, The Peace Alliance.
He has also worked as a manager in Wimpy Restaurants and been a licensed mortgage advisor.
His policies include making London carbon neutral by 2030 and implementing a tourist tax.
Brian Rose, Independent
Brian Rose is a former banker and founder, host and CEO of London Real a podcast and YouTube channel that has nearly 2 million subscribers.
His policies include using science-based decisions when it comes to setting policy, and removing all on-street parking in central London and replacing it with green spaces.
Kam Balayev, Renew
Born in Azerbaijan, Kam Balayev previously worked in international law and is Renew’s candidate for the Mayoral elections.
He believes that London has the potential to rival Silicon Valley and wants to achieve this through participatory budgets, e-petitions and citizen assemblies.
Rosalind Readhead, Independent
Rosalind Readhead is an environmental activist running for Mayor on a primarily climate based platform.
Her policies include banning private cars except for blue badges, and making London net carbon zero by 2025.
Join the discussion
There is no one more qualified than Brian Rose.He will move mountains to get London moving again.
Brian Rose by far has the most passion and energy. His ideas and policies are inclusive and all about raising every one in London to be the best they can be .London will be richer for it ..