The 2021 London Mayoral Election is just around the corner and a record number of candidates are standing, here is an in-depth look at each one:   

Shaun Bailey (Conservatives)  
Website: https://www.shaunbailey.uk/ 
Shaun Bailey has been a London Assembly Member since 2016. He was previously a Government Advisor under David Cameron on Youth and Crime and was formerly a youth worker. His major policies in the election campaign are to fund 8000 new police officers and reopen 38 police stations, build 100,000 affordable homes, create a zero-emission bus fleet by 2025 and create a London Infrastructure bank to help fund infrastructure projects like Crossrail 2.  

Kam Balayev (Renew)  
Website: https://www.kam4london.co.uk/ 
Kam Balayev was born in Azerbaijan in 1981. He was a Lawyer and worked at the Ministry of Justice in Azerbaijan. He has worked with the UN, European Council and Interpol. He is also a trustee of the American Peace Foundation. His policies include a ‘London Supplementary Income’ and to “take back some of those profits” from “big firms” as well as a “15-minute plan”.  

Sian Berry (Green Party)  
Website: https://www.sianberry.london/ 
Sian Berry is the co-leader of the Green Party and is a London Assembly member. She is originally from Gloucestershire. She formerly worked as a medical copywriter for big pharmaceutical companies and is an author of a number of books. Her major policies are to create a 'People’s Land Commision', set rent controls for London and expand the Ultra-Low Emission Zone to cover the whole of London.  

Count Binface  
Website: https://www.countbinface.com/ 
Formerly Lord Buckethead, Count Binface is the alter-ego of comedian Jon Harvey and has contested general elections against Theresa May and Boris Johnson. His major policies are to rename London Bridge after Phoebe Waller; allow no shop to sell a croissant for over £1; London to re-join the EU and for Croydon to get a facelift.  

Valerie Brown (Burning Pink)  
Website:  https://burningpink.earth/valerie-for-london/ 
Valerie Brown moved to Ladbroke Grove from Ghana in the 1960s. She describes herself as a mother, grandmother, activist and vigilante. Her policy is to create a legally binding Citizens Assembly in London and then to remove the role of Mayor.  

Piers Corbyn (Let London Live)  
Website: https://www.corbyn4london.com/ 
Piers Corbyn is a weather forecaster and the elder brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. He has consistently denied that humans have played a role in climate change. He was arrested in February after distributing leaflets comparing the covid vaccine programme to the Holocaust and breaches of the coronavirus regulations. He is campaigning to end coronavirus regulations in London. 

Max Fosh (Independent) 
Website: https://www.maxfosh.co/ 
Max Fosh is a Youtuber with over 400,000 subscribers. He formerly worked at Wowcher as Chief Admin Officer and was a radio presenter at Radio Tyneside. He began his YouTube Channel in 2017. He is running for Mayor to get more votes than Laurence Fox and to fill the “posh bloke” quota alongside Laurence Fox as well as to encourage more young people to vote.  

Laurence Fox (Reclaim) 
Website: https://laurencefoxforlondon.co.uk/ 
Laurence Fox is an actor best known for his supporting role in the TV drama ‘Lewis’. He is also a singer. He founded the Reclaim Party in 2020 and is standing in the election to, “fight against extreme political correctness”. His major policies are to build 250,000 homes on green-belt land, scrap Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and introduce “New York style” community policing.  

Peter Gammons (UKIP)  
Website: https://gammons.london/ 
Peter Gammons is described as one of the “most famous and in-demand motivational speakers”. He is also an award winning and bestselling author. His major policies are to utilise currently un-unused underground tunnels for walking and cycle lanes; create more affordable housing and to oppose lockdown.  

Richard Hewison (Rejoin EU) 
Website: https://rejoin.london/mayor/ 
He is a trainer in the financial sector and a campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights. His major policies are to lobby the government to re-join the EU and to create a “City of Tolerance”.  

Vanessa Hudson (Animal Welfare Party) 
Website: https://www.animalwelfareparty.org/current-elections/2021london/  
Vanessa Hudson is the leader of the Animal Welfare Party. She is a producer in the media industry and former press secretary of ‘Vegan Runner UK’. She is campaigning to make London carbon net zero by 2025, create an Animal Welfare Committee in the London Assembly and to increase London’s biodiversity and end the use of pesticides.  

Sadiq Khan (Labour)  
Website: https://sadiq.london/ 
Sadiq Khan is the current Mayor of London and was the former Labour MP for Tooting from 2005 – 2016. He stepped down upon coming Mayor. Before becoming an MP, he was a lawyer specialising in human rights. Following his election as an MP he was a junior minister under Gordon Brown and a member of the shadow cabinet under Ed Miliband. His major policies are a “Green New Deal” for London, 10,000 new council houses and to create a “London Drug commission” to look into the potential benefits of the legalisation of cannabis.  

Steve Kelleher (Social Democratic Party)  
Website: https://sdp.org.uk/2021/04/07/steve-kelleher-announced-as-sdp-candidate-for-london-mayor/ 
Steve Kelleher grew up in Elephant and Castle and worked in recruitment in the City of London. His major policies are to build 50,000 council houses every year; increase the number of police officers by 10,000 and provide free public transport for under-25s for the next three years.  

David Kurten (Heritage Party)  
Website: https://www.davidkurten.net/ 
David Kurten is a member of the London Assembly. He was elected in 2016 as a UKIP candidature but left the party in 2020. He was formerly a chemistry teacher and is the current leader of the Heritage Party. His major policies are to celebrate the UK’s heritage and oppose the renaming of streets and removal of statues; end “Politically Correct policing” and balance levels of net-migration in London.  

Farah London (Independent)  
Website: https://votefarah.london/ 
Farah London was born in Croydon and is a businesswoman with 22 years of corporate experience. Her major policies are to make rapid PCR tests available across London; hire 8500 police officers over four years, with 1000 dedicated to hate crime, and to implement a 10-year “Environmental Master plan”   

Nims Obunge (Independent)  
Website: https://www.nimsforlondon.com/ 
Nims Obunge is a former financial advisor, faith leader, CEO of the ‘Peace Alliance’ and a board member for different government agencies. His major policies include reopening 104 youth centres and creating 1000 youth jobs; reviewing the proposed 10% hike on council tax and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.  

Niko Omilana (Independent)  
Website: N/A 
Niko Omilana is a Youtuber with over 3 million subscribers. He is famous for his prank videos. If elected he will aim to help young people and in an interview with the BBC told the Prime Minister to, “shush”.  

Luisa Porritt (Liberal Democrats) 
Website: https://www.luisa4london.co.uk/  
Luisa Porritt was a journalist, communications director and formerly a consultant for Global Counsel, a strategic advisory company. She was a Member of the European Parliament from the May 2019 until 31st January 2020, when the UK left the EU. Her major policies are to reinvent the High Street, create a ‘London Housing Company’ to deliver affordable homes and to scrap the Silvertown Road Tunnel project.  

Mandu Reid (Women’s Equality Party)  
Website: https://www.womensequality.org.uk/gla_2021_election 
Mandu Reid is the leader of the Women’s Equality Party. She previously worked in Project and Programme Management for two Government departments and the Greater London Authority. In 2015, Reid founded ‘The Cup Effect’, a period poverty charity. Her major policy is to build back equally from the pandemic.  

Brian Rose ( London Real Party)  
Website: https://brianformayor.london/ 
Brian Rose is a podcaster originally from America. He was a Banker before creating ‘London Real’ in 2011, a podcast and YouTube Channel which has over two million subscribers. The podcast has previously spread conspiracy theories and misinformation about the pandemic. His major policies include cutting business rates, removing congestion charges and to create a “marketplace of ideas” where censorship
is prevented.  
 

The deadline to register to vote in person in the upcoming Mayoral election is midnight tonight. To register visit https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote