Susan Hall was named on Wednesday as the Conservative candidate to fight to become London's next mayor, handing the member of the London Assembly the chance to try to unseat Labour's mayor Sadiq Khan.
Khan, who became the first Muslim to head a major Western capital after his victory in 2016, won re-election in 2021 and is widely expected to win a third term in May next year.
Hall beat barrister Moz Hossain to become the governing party's candidate after a campaign that was marked by criticism of the candidates' lack of seniority and by the departure of the Conservative favourite, Daniel Korski, who was accused of groping a woman when he was an adviser in Downing Street.
"It is a huge honour to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London, I’m so grateful to everyone for their support," Hall said on Twitter. "I will work tirelessly to defeat Sadiq Khan and offer Londoners the change we need."
A spokesperson for Labour said: "The London election next year will be a two-horse race and the choice is clear - a Labour Mayor with a positive vision who will continue to build a fairer, greener and safer London for everyone, or the extreme Tory candidate, who stands for cuts to London’s public services, inequality and division."
"The Tories (Conservatives) have failed the country. They can't be trusted to run London."
