Conservatives
Zac Goldsmith, son of the late billionaire Sir James Goldsmith, was educated at Eton and Cambridge Centre for Sixth-form Studies before becoming editor of the Ecologist magazine. He was elected MP for Richmond Park in 2010 and increased his majority in 2015 — a constituency which had previously been a Lib Dem stronghold. He is known for his involvement in environmental issues, particularly his vocal opposition to Heathrow expansion. In 2012 he vowed to stand down as an MP if the government backed it. He has also been a leading campaigner on introducing greater powers for constituents to recall their MPs — which the government legislated for in 2014, although not entirely to Goldsmith’s satisfaction.
In that spirit, he held a referendum in his constituency to seek voters’ permission to stand for mayor. They duly gave it, and he pledged to fight for a “safer, greener, happier, more prosperous, united city”. Goldsmith is hoping to continue in the tradition of Boris Johnson, pledging not to raise the mayor-controlled element of council tax at the same time as giving Transport for London the funding it says it needs to upgrade the Tube. He says he would ensure 50,000 new homes are being built every year in London by 2020 but has also vowed to protect greenbelt land.
Labour
Sadiq Khan, son of a bus driver, grew up on a south London housing estate. He attended a local comprehensive school before going to university and training as a lawyer and went on to become a human rights solicitor, representing claims of racism against the Met and helping to overturn a ban on Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan entering the UK. Shortly after being elected MP for Tooting in 2005 he became parliamentary private secretary to then Commons leader Jack Straw. He became one of the first British Muslims to sit on the frontbench when he took up a ministerial role in the Department for Communities and Local Government and later the Department for Transport. In opposition, he became shadow justice secretary and was involved in the campaign against coalition reforms to legal aid.
Announcing his decision to run as mayor, he called Johnson a “red-carpet mayor” whereas he would “fight for all Londoners”. Like his predecessor as Labour candidate, Ken Livingstone, he is promising to freeze Transport for London fares for four years. He has already clashed several times with Mr Goldsmith on the best way to improve the housing supply for London. His idea is to build a minimum of 80,000 homes a year and specify that 50 per cent of new housing built on public land must be designated as affordable.
