Reform UK has named Westminster Councillor Laila Cunningham as its candidate to challenge incumbent Sadiq Khan for London mayor in 2028. Cunningham pledged to prioritize safety and scrap the Ultra Low Emission Zone, aiming to present her party as a viable alternative to the traditional Labour-Conservative divide.
The selection of Laila Cunningham by Reform UK signals the party's ambition to challenge for a major political office in London, potentially disrupting the established political landscape and influencing debates on crime and transport policy.
Reform UK has announced Westminster Councillor Laila Cunningham as its candidate to challenge incumbent Sadiq Khan in the 2028 London mayoral election. Nigel Farage confirmed the long-rumored candidacy, positioning Reform UK as a significant challenger to the established political parties in the capital.
Cunningham, who has previously been described as a "vigilante mum" for her efforts to track down those who targeted her children, stated that "safety" would be her primary focus if elected. She pledged "all out war on crime," with specific priorities to target knife crime, drugs, robberies, shoplifting, and rape gangs, and to "restore visible policing" by restructuring the Metropolitan Police. She also criticized Khan's record on law and order, stating, "Londoners need to know that the state of law and order in our city is his fault."
A key policy pledge from Cunningham is the complete scrapping of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), which she argued unfairly penalizes working Londoners. She stated that "every part of life in London is getting more expensive" and that drivers, tradesmen, and small business owners have been "treated with like the problem." A decision has not yet been made on the Congestion Charge Zone.
Despite Reform UK securing only 3.2% of the vote in the 2024 mayoral election, the party is confident of a stronger showing in 2028, citing their current national poll performance. Farage and Cunningham aim to present their party as the main alternative to Khan, moving beyond the traditional Labour-Conservative contest that has defined London's mayoral politics.