Sutton and Cheam’s Conservative MP Paul Scully is to “pause” his Government role as minister for the capital while he campaigns to win selection to be his party’s candidate in next year’s London Mayor elections.

Placed on pause: MP Paul Scully

Scully, 55, is the founder of a public relations consultancy, Nudge Factory, which has its offices in Croydon’s Centrale.

He is probably the highest-profile Tory politician so far to have declared their hand in seeking to challenge Labour’s Sadiq Khan for the role of Mayor of London.

However, there remains a possibility that “Judge” Rob Rinder, Karren Brady or another Tory sleb might yet formally declare their candidature.

The London elections are due to take place in May 2024, when Mayor Khan will be seeking to become the first London Mayor to be elected for a third term.

The Conservative selection process will see party members voting during July, with the candidate announced on July 19.

Next best: unable to find a competent politician to run in London, the Tories are looking to celebrities like Rob Rinder…

Scully, who has been an MP since 2015, has experience of working at City Hall, where he had a spell as an Assembly Member’s gofer.

Speaking on LBC this morning, Scully announced that he was stepping down from his duties as Minister for London during the course of his party’s selection race.

He said he would resign from the role altogether if selected as the Conservative candidate.

Other Tories to have declared that they wish to seek selection include Daniel Korski, a former advisor to David Cameron, Samuel Kasumu, another ex-SPAD, and London Assembly members Andrew Boff, Nick Rogers (who?) and Susan Hall.

It was Hall’s decision to enter the mayoral selection race which saw her stand down as leader of the nine-strong Conservative group at City Hall. That left the way open for Sutton and Croydon AM Neil “Father Jack” Garratt to take on that role.

Describing his time as minister for the city in the anti-London Government of Johnson-Truss-Sunak as a “three-year apprenticeship” for the Mayor job, Scully said, “I want to make sure London can be the greatest city it can be,” he said.

And confirming that he is as pro-pollution and in the thrall of the car lobby just as much as the next Tory, Scully’s one policy pledge was to switch off the cameras in the ULEZ expansion zone “on Day One”.

… or Karren Brady, the former personal assistant to a pornographer, now a side-kick on a reality TV show

Asked if he would continue as Minister for London, Scully said he had sought advice from civil servants. “That’s why as of this morning I am pausing my activity as Minister for London and should I be selected then I will be relinquishing that post,” he said.

The Sutton and Cheam MP added that he would continue to do his job as a technology minister.

Serial liar, party-goer, law-breaker and philanderer Boris Johnson is the only Conservative ever to have served as Mayor of London (from 2008 to 2016) since the position was created in 2000.

The Tory candidates in the last two elections – Zac Goldsmith (2016) and Shaun Bailey (2021; still an AM, but notably not asked to stand again in 2024) – have been memorable only because of their disastrously poor campaigns.

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