A Windrush descendant and former adviser to David Cameron has been selected to run as the Tory Party’s next candidate for London Mayor.
Shaun Bailey beat off the competition to get the shot at City Hall on a promise that he will focus on cracking down on gangs and crime.
But he faces a stiff battle to beat Labour’s Sadiq Khan after it emerged that the Tories have 15,000 members in London, a city home to more than eight million.
The Tory politician, who used to advise Mr Cameron on youth and crime before reportedly being pushed out by the then PM’s Old Etonian clique, has vowed to take a ‘zero-tolerance approach’ to the knife crime epidemic gripping the capital.
Mr Bailey said he is delighted with being selected – and that tackling crime and the housing crisis are his top priorities.
Shaun Bailey (pictured near City Hall in London) beat off the competition to get the shot at City Hall on a promise that he will focus on cracking down on gangs and crime
He said: ‘Local government is important work and our city is facing real challenges.
‘Violent crime is up. Gang crime is up. Knife crime is up. Our transport system faces a £1billion hole in its operating budget.
‘New homes are not being built fast enough. After two and a half years of Sadiq Khan, it is clear we cannot afford more of the same.’
But he faces a tough challenge to snatch City Hall off Mr Khan in 2020 as London is a strong Labour-supporting city.
And the Conservatives today admitted they only have around 15,000 members in the capital.
They said that 7,321 Tory members voted in the London Mayoralty selection race at a turnout of 47.8 per cent – meaning the party has 15,316 members who are eligible to vote.
Anyone who has been a member of the Tory Party for three months or more can vote.
Senior Conservative figures rushed to congratulate Mr Bailey on his selection.
Theresa May tweeted: ‘Congratulations to Shaun Bailey, the new candidate for Mayor of London.
‘A passionate and dedicated campaigner, he truly gets what London needs to thrive.
‘He has the ideas and the energy to deliver. I look forward to joining him on the campaign trail soon.’
Mr Bailey defeated rivals Andrew Boff and Joy Morrissey for the nomination to stand in 2020 after a vote by party supporters in the capital.
Theresa May (pictured in New York on Wednesday) is hoping that Shaun Bailey will be able to snatch back City Hall for the Tories after they lost the powerful post to Labour two years ago
Mr Bailey, who is a London Assembly member, is pledging a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to crime and vows to put 1,000 extra police officers on London’s streets if he wins the mayoralty.
His first major political speech following his selection will be at the Conservative conference in Birmingham early next week.
Mr Bailey’s family moved to London as part of the Windrush Generation and he was raised by his mother in North Kensington.
For many years, Mr Bailey was a youth worker in Ladbroke Grove and entered politics through charity work.
Tory chairman Brandon Lewis welcomed Mr Bailey’s appointment, saying: ‘I’m delighted Shaun Bailey has been elected as our candidate.
‘He is passionate about London and has the ideas London needs to continue to be the best capital city in the world.
‘London is being let down by Sadiq Khan, who keeps breaking the promises he made to Londoners on crime, housing and transport. I know Shaun will hold him to account and outline his positive vision for London.’