MP Rory Stewart running for London Mayor

Former Tory leadership contender and MP Rory Stewart has announced he will be in the race to be Mayor of London.

Just hours before, Stewart had tweeted that he was resigning from the Conservative party, and would not stand for re-election.

It’s been a great privilege to serve Penrith and The Border for the last ten years, so it is with sadness that I am announcing that I will be standing down at the next election, and that I have also resigned from the Conservative Party.

— Rory Stewart (@RoryStewartUK) October 4, 2019

Now he’s revealed that he will be running for Mayor of London, as an independent candidate. He will be in direct competition with Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey.

I am running as an Independent candidate for Mayor of London, and here’s why.

Please join me in my campaign: https://t.co/8y3xWpl9hY#Rory4London pic.twitter.com/jnaNy8IF0s

— Rory Stewart (@RoryStewartUK) October 4, 2019

In the video announcing his candidacy, Rory Stewart praises London as “the greatest city on Earth,” but warns it is in great danger from the “extremism” that is “taking over the country.”

He pledges to make London a better place through the “traditions of compromise,” and the “energy and diversity” of the city. He promises to make sure London’s air is clean, and to “challenge division.” But he also brands Parliament as the “gothic shouting chamber of Westminster.”

Stewart previously served as a minister in several departments, including Africa, Prisons, and more recently he was the Secretary of State for International development. Just three months ago, he was running for leadership of the Conservative party, and to be Prime Minister, alongside Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid, and Michael Gove.