‘We need to beat Sadiq Khan’ - Susan Hall pledges to halt the ULEZ expansion if she becomes mayor

The former leader of the City Hall Conservatives has announced her bid to be the Tory Party candidate for the 2024 London mayoral election.

Susan Hall says she wants to “sort out the mess” created by current mayor Sadiq Khan, who hopes to win a record third term next year.

Ms Hall, a former leader of Harrow council who has been a London Assembly member since 2017, believes she is one of the few candidates with the experience and strength to beat Mr Khan.

One of her main pledges is to stop the ULEZ expansion, a promise her fellow Tory mayoral hopeful Samuel Kasumu has made. Unlike Mr Kasumu, she is opposed to holding a referendum in each borough, arguing that this would cost taxpayers over £3 million. However, she is warning the other contenders that opposition to ULEZ is not a golden ticket to City Hall and that this policy cannot be the sole focus of the Conservative pitch to voters.

Her other pledge is to set out a plan to hunt down and lock up burglars, muggers and thieves, by creating a new Met Police unit dedicated to predicting and intercepting these crimes. She said this specialist team would tackle these crimes head on and dismantle the organised crime networks that fence stolen goods.

Announcing her bid, Ms Hall said: “We need to beat Sadiq Khan, so we can get the police working again, stop punishing people with unfair taxes, and build a lot more homes in the right places.

“I am the only candidate with the strength and the experience to take him on and win. If I am chosen as your Conservative mayoral candidate, I will sort this mess out with a common sense plan to fix London.

“Not too long ago, London was a safer, happier and more tolerant city. It can be that again. If I am your candidate, we will get there.”

So far assembly members Nick Rogers and Andrew Boff have put their names forward as mayoral hopefuls, while minister for London Paul Scully said last month that he was “considering” a bid.

Samuel Kasmumu, a former adviser to Boris Johnson, has also thrown his name in the hat.

The Conservative mayoral candidate selection is expected to be concluded by July.