Putney MP not joining the contest to become the next London Mayor

Justine Greening took to Twitter this Tuesday night (26 June) to confirm she would not be seeking her party's nomination as its candidate for London Mayor. The Putney MP had been widely tipped to stand against Sadiq Khan. She gave thanks for all the support she has received for a prospective bid, but confirmed that she will be focussing on her Social Mobility pledge.

Thanks @JustineForMayor - all your support is hugely appreciated, but as an MP I'm focusing on https://t.co/yU0CmZz6Nf to drive opportunity for people across our whole country so won't be putting my name forward. Want to help? Watch this and get involved! #SocialMobility pic.twitter.com/NblAFdx4Ak

— Justine Greening (@JustineGreening) June 26, 2018

The Conservatives are due to start the process of selecting their candidate for the post of London Mayor, held until 2020 by Labour's Sadiq Khan.

Her narrow local victory in the last general election and the ending of her ministerial career when she stood down as Education Secretary earlier this year, had led to speculation that she might stand. Out of step with her party at the national level on issues such as Brexit and Heathrow, the independence of the role of London Mayor might have proved irresistible.

However, Ms Greening has held fast on her commitment to the issue of social mobility and posted a very personal video alongside last night's tweet revealing her own struggles and urging Twitter users to get involved with her efforts to help businesses and schools break down the barriers of social mobility.

The incumbent Mayor Sadiq Khan has stated that he is interested in running again as the Labour candidate. Mr Khan was elected in 2016 with 44.2% of the first round vote.

June 29, 2018