Festus Akinbusoye, a Nigerian-born politician and former Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, has announced his intention to seek the Conservative Party’s nomination for the 2028 London mayoral election.
Akinbusoye, who became Britain’s first Black police and crime commissioner, is set to challenge former Cabinet minister Sir James Cleverly for the Tory ticket.
The Westminster councillor said his campaign would focus heavily on policing, public safety, housing affordability and creating opportunities for Londoners.
His announcement comes shortly after Cleverly stepped down from the Conservative front bench to launch his own bid for the mayoralty.
Akinbusoye is expected to make the Metropolitan Police’s staffing challenges and the need to improve public safety central to his campaign. He has warned of a “crisis” within the force as officers leave and pledged to champion frontline officers if elected.
He has also criticised the relationship between Labour Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and the Metropolitan Police, claiming that some officers increasingly feel the mayor is “against the police”.
Akinbusoye said restoring confidence among rank-and-file officers would be crucial to improving policing across the capital.
Khan is currently serving his third term as mayor and has yet to confirm whether he will seek re-election in May 2028.
The Conservatives have failed to defeat Khan in the past three London mayoral elections. Former candidates Zac Goldsmith, Shaun Bailey and Susan Hall all lost to the Labour incumbent.
Akinbusoye believes his background could offer the Conservatives a different approach.
Unlike previous Tory candidates, he has not served in Westminster or City Hall. Instead, he brings experience from policing, local government and the private sector, as well as personal experience as an immigrant from Nigeria.
“My proposition to London is this: I’m a fresh face,” Akinbusoye said.
He said his experience of setting up a small business with support from the Prince’s Trust, coupled with his upbringing as the son of a cleaner, had given him an understanding of the challenges facing ordinary Londoners.
He said his ambition was to make London “an affordable home to stay and raise a family, safe enough to live and work, with opportunities in all our boroughs.”
Akinbusoye added that he wanted London to have a mayor and City Hall that worked for residents rather than against them.
His campaign is also expected to place housing at the centre of his platform.
Recalling his own experience after moving to Britain from Nigeria, Akinbusoye said the cost of living and housing pressures had forced him to move about 70 miles away from London to Milton Keynes.
“This is not about ambition or ego; it’s personal,” he said, arguing that young Londoners now face even greater difficulties in securing affordable homes.
He pledged to create a pathway that would enable young people to own homes and remain in London rather than being forced out by rising housing costs.
Akinbusoye also criticised aspects of the London Plan, arguing that it had contributed to an exodus from the capital rather than encouraging sufficient housebuilding.
He said a Conservative administration under his leadership would seek closer cooperation with developers, reform the London Plan and establish a realistic route from renting to home ownership.
Transport and fare evasion would also feature in his campaign. Akinbusoye criticised the estimated losses from fare evasion on London’s transport network and said stronger enforcement could help keep fares affordable.
The 2028 election is expected to be more competitive than previous contests, with several parties seeking to challenge Labour’s dominance in the capital.
A recent Savanta poll placed Labour on 33 per cent of the first-round vote, followed by Reform UK on 20 per cent and the Conservatives on 18 per cent.
Akinbusoye said he believed the Conservatives needed a candidate capable of connecting with ordinary Londoners and addressing their concerns directly.
“I strongly believe that Londoners will at least listen to a Conservative candidate who speaks their language, who has lived their story, and who is all about delivering for them,” he said.
He acknowledged that the party would need to learn from its previous mayoral campaigns but said he would avoid making the election primarily about Khan.
“My focus will be on making sure London remains a great place for people to live, raise a family, set up a business, and get around,” he said.
He added that his priority would be ensuring Londoners knew who he was, what he stood for and what he could offer their families, businesses and communities.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said the party would select its candidate “in due course.”
