Rob Rinder and Karren Brady considered as Conservative candidates for Mayor of London

Robert Rinder, criminal defense attorney and host of Judge Rinder's program, has been widely discussed as a possible celebrity mayoral candidate. Photo: Ray Schroer

The Conservative Party is on the hunt for a 'famous' celebrity candidate for mayor of London after polls showed he was in close proximity to Sadiq Khan. a household name to run against the Labor mayor who will be running for his third term next year.

Rob Rinder, TV lawyer, and Baroness Brady, businesswoman and star of The Apprentice, were discussed as contenders for the Conservative nomination.

The party may also approach a former minister to represent them in London, with possible candidates including Paul Scully, a London minister, and Justine Greening, a former education minister and the rest.

Some 78,000 members of the Tory Party from London will vote for the last two or three candidates this summer, hoping to choose a candidate before the party's annual conference in October.

Tory sources have suggested a decision to elect Sean Bailey. , a relatively unknown member of the London Assembly, as his candidate in 2020 was a mistake and that a recognizable face could help bring down Mr Khan. «/>Baroness Brady was appointed a Tory life peer by David Cameron in 2014 and has been linked in the past to a possible coup at London City Hall. Photo: Freemantle Media/Jim Marks. suggests voters have fallen out of love with Mr Khan, giving Tories hope he can be beaten.

A YouGov poll this week found that half of Londoners think the Labor mayor is in business going «bad». declining support since the last such poll in January.

Since then, Mr. Khan has been challenged in court by the Conservative councils over his Ulez policy and has faced controversy over the introduction of low-traffic neighborhoods.

Currently, three candidates have declared their intention to seek the nomination: Members of the London Assembly, Andrew Boff and Nick Rogers, and Samuel Kasumu, former Councilor Number 10.

Mr Kasumu has secured the support of Grant Shapps, Minister for Energy Security and Clean Zero, Steve Baker, Minister of the Northern Ireland Office, and Priti Patel, former Home Secretary.

Mr Kasumu told The Telegraph that if elected, he would put an end to Mr Khan's approach to London's monuments that «demonstrates virtue». The mayor has created a Public Diversity Commission to make recommendations on landmarks in the capital and has previously spoken out in support of the removal of some of the statues.

>Potential mayoral candidate Samuel Kasumu has vowed that if elected, every London suburb would have the opportunity to reverse any Ulez expansion. Photo: David Rose

Mr. Kasumu said: “I was involved in the construction of the Windrush monument at Waterloo station. . I wrote this commitment into the 2019 manifesto and became the tenth person responsible for the implementation of the project.

“In principle, I have no problem with new monuments to commemorate the contributions of past and present figures, especially those from communities that reflect variety of London. This should be encouraged.”

However, Mr Kasumu said it was «wrong» for Mr Khan to «give a disproportionate amount of his time» and tens of thousands of pounds of «taxpayer money». to focus on this topic.”

“This is a message of virtue, pure and simple,” he said. “This is a distraction from more important issues, including the cost of living crisis and increasing confidence in our police force. For me, this topic is not a priority and should not be for the mayor.”

He continued: “Monuments offer historical benefits. Even if we no longer agree with the actions of some of the people we have memorialized, we are less likely to remember those same people and their actions if we seek to erase them.»

He added that he was «a Democrat and supported the government's plan to give locals the «final say» on decisions such as changing street names.

Mr Kasumu also named a «partner» in Keith Prince, a member of the London Assembly, who will be his constitutional deputy mayor, if elected.

Stephen Norris, the Conservative candidate in the first mayoral election in 2000, also chose a candidate for the nomination, but the practice has since been suspended.

Mr Kasumu said he chose Mr Prince, the former leader of Redbridge Council, after an internal simulation that showed «East London will be vital if the Conservatives are to succeed» in next year's election.