Rory Stewart wants to sleep on your sofa
Londoners are being given the chance to snuggle up to an unusual house guest this winter, mayoral candidate Rory Stewart.
Independent candidate Stewart sent out the surprising invitation to Londoners today, asking to sleep over at people’s houses as a part of his election campaign.
The initiative, called Come Kip with Me, will see the former Tory cabinet secretary try to learn more about how people “see the city” and the issues most important to them.
The idea is inspired by his 6000-mile voyage he completed on foot across Afghanistan in 2002, where he slept each night with local villagers.
He has already stayed with one man in Streatham and one woman in Newham as a part of the initiative.
“Fixing London’s issues – whether on crime, housing, or our air quality – will not come from issuing press releases or edicts from a distant office building,” Stewart said.
“It comes from getting out into communities across the capital, staying with people – listening to their concerns, as well as their ideas for the best solutions.”
Stewart announced his candidacy in the 7 May mayoral in October last year, after revealing his intention to quit as a Conservative MP.
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He was previously international development secretary under Theresa May, but stepped down after Boris Johnson won the party leadership.
Stewart also stood in the leadership race, coming from the back of the field to come in a surprising fourth place after a strong, digital-focussed campaign.
The 47-year-old is polling at 13 per cent in the mayoral race, according to a November YouGov/Queen Mary poll.
This puts him behind incumbent Sadiq Khan on 45 per cent and Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey on 23 per cent.
Stewart’s campaign thus far has been focussed around his London Speaks initiative, which saw him and volunteers go to every London borough to collate ideas for his manifesto.