Zac Goldsmith joins the contest to be the next mayor of London
TORY MP Zac Goldsmith entered the race for City Hall yesterday, saying that he decided to run after being approached by “people from across the political spectrum.”
Goldsmith, who was first elected as the MP for Richmond Park in 2010, told the Evening Standard that he could get the best deal for the capital.
“London needs a mayor who can work with government to get the resources that London needs to deal with massive pressures on housing, transport and policing but is also strong enough to stand up to the government when it gets things wrong,” he said.
Goldsmith said that he had written to the 77,000 constituents who re-elected him, asking them to vote by post to consent to his mayoral race.
“I have just been re-elected as MP and it’s important to know whether or not my constituents are happy for me to run for mayor,” he said. “They must have the right to say no and it is now up to them to decide without interference.”
If Goldsmith wins the mayoral election next year, he is expected to step down as an MP, triggering a by-election. A longtime opponent of Heathrow airport expansion, Goldsmith has separately threatened to resign and spark a by-election if the government agrees to expand the west London airport.