By Ross Lydall

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Former Tory foreign secretary Sir James Cleverly has sparked speculation about running for London mayor, saying it “would be stupid” not to think about the job.

This could pit him against Sir Sadiq Khan in the 2028 mayoral elections as the Conservatives attempt to reclaim City Hall after 12 years under Labour control.

Sir Sadiq unexpectedly said last month that it was his “intention” to stand for a fourth term, though he may have unintentionally made his plans sound more concrete than he intended, during the live phone-in on LBC radio.

Sir James, a former London Assembly member for Bexley and Bromley who oversaw the London fire brigade when Boris Johnson was mayor, is currently the Tory MP for Braintree and the party’s shadow housing secretary.

Asked by Adam Fleming on the BBC Newscast podcast whether he fancied running for London mayor, Sir James replied: “The mayor of big cities like London is an incredibly important job.

“We’ve already discussed the huge difference that Andy Street made to Birmingham and the West Midlands. Look, I love being the [MP] for Braintree.

“I know I’ve had so many people say you cut your teeth in London politics. It’s a really, really important job.

“My heart is in Essex, but I also know it is, you know, watching London go wrong angers me enormously, but as I say, I’m not…”

When it was suggested that he was thinking about the job, Sir James added: “Look I’d be stupid not to think about it, but I say my heart, my heart’s in Essex.”

Sir James was speaking at the Tory party conference in Manchester. Speaking ahead of the conference, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch was asked by ITV London’s political editor Simon Harris who she wanted as the party’s mayoral candidate.

In comments first reported by the London Centric website, Ms Badenoch told ITV London: “The ideal candidate is someone who is a beacon of hope and light in our city.”

She said Sir Sadiq was failing to “bring the city together” and added: “We need someone who understands the economy and has had a proper job and who can show private sector experience.

“We need someone who is business-friendly who can tackle issues like knife crime and show our city at its best.

“I’m looking for people to come forward – we are the Conservative party and we believe in meritocracy and open competition.”

The 2028 London mayoral election is due to be fought under the supplementary vote system, which allows voters to choose their first and second preference candidates, rather than the traditional “first past the post” system that was used for the first time in 2024.

The two-vote system is likely to favour Sir Sadiq if he does stand again as many Green and Lib-Dem voters may choose him as their second preference.

Sir James, in a speech at Tory conference, said a Conservative mayor would rewrite the London Plan, the planning and housing blueprint for the capital, claiming this would help to get thousands more homes built.

He said: “We need a Conservative to rewrite the London Plan, focus on delivery and unlock the tens of thousands of desperately needed homes in that city, and to unlock them near transport links, near to the night time economy, near to job opportunities, by prioritising brownfield sites and turning them into business hubs and housing hubs, just like we did before in Canary Wharf and just like we did before in the Olympic Park.”

Normally each new mayor revises the London Plan in line with their political thinking, especially on housing. Increasing the supply of council housing has been one of Sir Sadiq’s priorities.

Sir Sadiq is currently in discussions with the Government on potentially reducing the proportion of affordable homes that need to be included in new developments.

The number of homes being started in London has plummeted, in part due to wider economic circumstances and in part because of onerous safety regulations introduced in the wake of the Grenfell tower disaster.