Sir James Cleverly is quitting the shadow cabinet to run for London mayor.
Announcing his decision, the former foreign secretary and Braintree MP said the capital needed “a champion, someone who understands its potential and is prepared to fight for its future”.
In an op-ed for The Sunday Times, he wrote: “I have told Kemi Badenoch that I will leave the shadow cabinet. Serving there has been a privilege, and I know there will continue to be strong voices around that table.
“But to run the most effective campaign possible, I must be free to speak about every aspect of London’s future and concentrate fully on winning this race.”
Sir James, who is the Tory party’s shadow minister for housing, communities and local government, will resign from the shadow cabinet with immediate effect.
Labour mayor Sir Sadiq Khan is halfway through his third term and has not confirmed whether he will stand again in May 2028.
In his op-ed, Sir James claimed Sir Sadiq “saw City Hall as his springboard into No 10” but that this ambition disappeared when Sir Keir Starmer became Labour leader.
He said: “London’s reputation has been allowed to slip, at home and abroad, while too many of its problems have been left to fester.”
The Braintree MP said that London’s success is driving the British economy and argued that “the route both to Britain’s economic recovery and to the next Conservative government runs through London.”
Speculation has rumbled for months that Sir James, who has held the shadow housing, communities and local government brief since last July, was considering a bid to run City Hall.
His move leaves an empty post ahead of an expected reshuffle of the shadow cabinet by Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch.
He wrote: “I have told Kemi Badenoch that I will leave the shadow cabinet. Serving there has been a privilege, and I know there will continue to be strong voices around that table. But to run the most effective campaign possible, I must be free to speak about every aspect of London’s future and concentrate fully on winning this race.
“The Conservative Party, and London, needs a credible candidate with the experience and confidence to win. I know this city. I know the job. I know I can do it. And I know I can beat whoever Labour puts forward.”
He also criticised prime minister Andy Burnham, claiming he treats the capital “as a cash cow: somewhere to tax, regulate, raid and blame” adding, “Other parties simply amplify every criticism of the capital, talking it down without offering either a credible plan or showing any real desire to make things better.”
Sir James has held a number of ministerial positions under three prime ministers – including roles as home secretary and education secretary.
He represented the Tories on the London Assembly before his election as MP for Braintree in 2015. After rising through the backbenches, he unsuccessfully ran for Conservative party leader in 2024, losing out to Badenoch.
A source close to Ms Badenoch told The Sunday Times, that she was “gutted” to lose Cleverly but was “delighted that someone of his calibre wants to put himself forward to be Conservative nominee for mayor of London.
The London Mayor’s office was approached for comment.