Conservative London mayoral hopefuls battle it out

Three Tories vying to be the party's next London mayoral candidate have made their first pitch to party members.

London Assembly member Susan Hall, tech entrepreneur Dan Korski and barrister Moz Hossain all focused on tackling crime, transport and housing.

Despite being rarely out of the headlines, former mayor and prime minister Boris Johnson was barely mentioned.

The winner for the candidacy will be announced on 19 July.

The next mayoral election for the English capital is due in May 2024.

During Friday's hustings, there were signs the party was hoping to project a fresh image in the capital - distancing itself potentially from the national fortunes of the Conservative government.

Both Mr Korski and Mr Hossain are "passionate" Remainers and have never held elected office.

Mr Korski - a former Number 10 aide to David Cameron - was born in Denmark and is the child of Polish emigres.

He said he wanted to help people fulfil a "London dream" of feeling safe, securing a decent home, being able to set up business and get on in life.

Mr Hossain - who was born in Bangladesh and came to the UK in his early twenties - said the two decades he spent working in the criminal justice system made him ideally placed to restore confidence in the police.

Ms Hall sought to distinguish herself from her rivals by underlining that she had "won elections" and was "the candidate [current mayor] Sadiq Khan fears" as a result of her criticisms of him at City Hall.

She also quoted former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, saying: "If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman."

Uniting the candidates was a view that the current mayor was most vulnerable over crime and policing, and the plan to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to outer London.

All three said they were committed to restoring neighbourhood policing, which was reduced during Mr Johnson's time as mayor.

Mr Korski vowed to introduce more "direct entry" to the police to encourage more ex-military people to join, along with those with tech experience needed to tackle cyber crime.

Ms Hall - one of whose slogans is "Safer with Susan" - said she would ensure the Met implemented the improvement plan arising from recent scandals.

In another swipe at the current mayor, Mr Korski claimed Mr Khan "deals in the politics of negativity...talking down the city".

All three candidates vowed to immediately cancel ULEZ expansion to outer London.

Mr Korski has pledged to pursue a "smarter" road-pricing scheme, based on use of vehicle, as soon as possible.

Mr Hossain said expanding ULEZ was "a cruel thing to do during the worst cost-of-living crisis in history".

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