Reform UK’s candidate for the 2028 Mayoral election in London has vowed that her manifesto will be written “by Londoners, for Londoners” and claimed the capital has been ignored by Sir Sadiq Khan for the last decade.
Laila Cunningham, who was unveiled by party leader Nigel Farage on Wednesday (7 January) as the chosen challenger to the Mayor of London, said she will spend the next two years traversing the city and “understanding what Londoners want from their Mayor”.
With the next election almost two and a half years away, the Westminster councillor – who defected from the Conservatives to Reform UK last year – said candidates and parties need to sell themselves to voters, rather than expecting constituents to show “blind loyalty” to them.
Presenting the May 2028 election as a two-horse race between Reform UK and Labour, Cunningham said her manifesto will be based on the needs of Londoners, rather than being driven by an ideology.
In an exclusive interview with the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the candidate said her policy platform will become more clear as she “understands what Londoners want from their Mayor”.
“Londoners have been ignored,” she claimed. “They don’t feel they’ve been listened to by their councils and they don’t think they’ve be listened to by the Mayor. He’s deprioritised public safety. People don’t feels safe on the streets.
“People didn’t want the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) expansion. He’s spending money on pet projects like renaming [train] lines.
“And so my aim in the next two years is going borough to borough, council estate to estate, high street to high street, and really understanding what Londoners want from their Mayor.
“My manifesto won’t be written by me, it will be written by Londoners, for Londoners. I just have to ask Londoners one thing, when you’re voting for Labour, what exactly are you voting for?
“Nobody owes blind loyalty to a politician. It’s the reverse, they owe you. And if you don’t feel that they’ve stuck up for you, prioritise your safety and prioritise your priorities".
In their sole attempt to win City Hall in 2024, Reform UK’s candidate Howard Cox earned just 3.2 per cent of the vote, placing them well below the major parties.
However, they did gain their first member on the London Assembly, Alex Wilson, who was joined late last year by former veteran Tory Keith Prince – both of whom are able to directly question Sir Sadiq on behalf of the party.
Cunningham’s sole interaction with Sir Sadiq came during a heated public confrontation on knife crime last year.
The councillor admitted she doesn’t have any experience in City Hall but said that’s “not a bar” to going for the top job.
“Of course I’ll be working with Alex and Keith,” she said. “They’re fantastic at holding him to account.
“Londoners are going to have to make a choice – they either want more of the same or they want someone who genuinely wants a London that works for Londoners, not just a politician.
“Right now, we have a London where people don’t feel it’s working for them. It has to be a London for everyone, not just a select few. I’m going to stop the identity politics. I’m not going to put everyone in a box.
“We are all Londoners. I’m Muslim, I’m a woman, I am Arabic. I’m not any of those, really. I’m a Londoner. And that’s what all of us are. What Sadiq Khan was very good at was dividing us into little boxes and conquering London. That’s got to stop. We are all united. We’re all Londoners. We all face the same streets, the same trains.
“I grew up in London. Nobody cared who you prayed to, where you were from. We’re all just Londoners, we’re all mates. And that’s the London I want to go back to. I hope I can be the candidate and eventually the Mayor that unites London.”
While her first appearance was light on policy, Cunningham told the LDRS that she would take on the rail unions to stop future strikes, end the “war on motorists” in the capital and ensure social housing is prioritised for British nationals.
Cunningham has faced criticism in the past from her former party group leader on Westminster Council over her commitment to constituents, however.
Cllr Paul Swaddle, leader of the Westminster City Conservatives, accused her of becoming increasingly disengaged with the role, often missing meetings, turning up late or failing to be over her brief.
A Reform UK spokesperson said: “These comments were made as part of a targeted smear campaign by a bitter councillor who is presiding over a group that is coming apart at the seams.
“Before Laila defected, these allegations were never mentioned, and when asked at full council to repeat his comments, Cllr Swaddle failed to reply. This is not a sign of a politician who should be taken seriously.
“Cllr Cunningham is a dedicated councillor who has been committed to representing her residents effectively. She will make an excellent Mayor of London.”
In response, Cllr Swaddle told the LDRS: “At the time of her defection, Laila was disengaged, was showing up late for meetings and ill-prepared. She seemed to have lost interest in representing local people. Nothing has changed. She walked away from her responsibilities in pursuit of her own political ambition.”
A recent poll from Savanta suggested Reform were currently polling second in London on 19 per cent, 12 per cent behind Labour.
However, Sir Sadiq, who confirmed last year that he intends to run for a fourth term in City Hall, appeared to dismiss any notion of a threat.
He told the LDRS on Thursday (8 January): “Last time 20 people stood. I’m looking forward to Count Binface or whoever wanting to be the next Mayor.
“When the campaign begins, I’ll give it attention, I know I’m too busy serving this city, delivering a more affordable, safer, greener, healthier London for everyone.”
