Tory MP Paul Scully has said that he will pause his activities as minister for London to run as the city’s mayor.
He told the LBC he would step down from the role altogether if selected as the candidate.
Tory members will vote for their preferred candidate in July and the winner will be announced on July 19.
Current mayor, Labour’s Sadiq Khan, has said that he will stand for a third term at the next election in May next year.
According to reports, Scully is the latest Tory candidate entering the race to secure the party’s nomination for the City Hall job.
Former advisor to David Cameron, Daniel Korski, former No 10 advisor Samuel Kasumu and London Assembly members Andrew Boff, Nick Rogers and Susan Hall are already in the race.
Green Party has selected Zoe Garbett as its mayor candidate. Howard Cox is standing for Reform UK, previously the Brexit Party. The Liberal Democrat’s is yet to conduct a selection process.
Scully likened his tenure as minister for London to a ‘three-year training period’ preparing him for the role of London mayor.
“I want to make sure London can be the greatest city it can be,” he told LBC.
Scully was appointed minister for tech and the digital economy on 7 February 2023. He is also minister for London, having been appointed on 13 February 2020.
When asked about his future as minister for London, Scully disclosed that he had sought advice from civil servants to ensure there were no conflicts of interest.
Mayor Khan’s recent move to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone citywide, justified as a difficult but imperative step to combat the harmful air pollution in London, has drawn criticism from various quarters.
While responding to the issue, the Sutton and Cheam MP said that he would switch off the Ulez expansion cameras ‘on the first day’.
Scully said that if selected as mayor candidate he will relinquish the post as minister for London but would continue as technology minister.
