Conservative Party urged to rerun London mayoral selection process

A former special adviser to Boris Johnson who unsuccessfully fought to represent the Conservatives in next year's London mayoral race wants the party to rerun its selection process.

Samuel Kasumu wrote to Chairman Greg Hands after Daniel Korski dropped out on Wednesday.

Mr Kasumu criticised the current process as lacking "real transparency or mechanisms for accountability".

The Tories said the race would proceed with the two remaining candidates.

This will see a run-off between Mozammel Hossain KC and Susan Hall AM, with the winner announced on 19 July. Mr Korski rejects an allegation of groping made against him by TV producer Daisy Goodwin but said the pressure on his family and the "inability to get a hearing" for his message made it "impossible" to carry on.

In Mr Kasumu's letter, which has been seen by the BBC, he wrote that the "selection process risks being permanently tainted".

He said this was because the party's London Board was allowed to decide who "should be put forward to party members without any real transparency or mechanisms for accountability".

Mr Kasumu added that there was no higher body to "stress-test" the quality of the decision-making process and no mechanism for appeal - something that would "not be acceptable" in other working environments.

He said "there is still time for a positive outcome" and urged Mr Hands to reopen the process "with more direct involvement from members".

"It's quite right for CCHQ (Conservative Campaign Headquarters) to conduct due diligence but then it - and the London Board - should let the members choose or should offer meaningful reassurances that the process is a fair one," Mr Kasumu said.

"It's not too late. I urge you to restart the selection process. Sadiq Khan can be defeated, but only if we have the right person taking him on."

Before the shortlist was announced, Mr Kasumu was seen as a frontrunner and received endorsements from Tory heavyweights including Grant Shapps, Steve Baker and Priti Patel.

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