{
  "id": 19606565,
  "title": "London’s future is in the hands of a handful of Conservatives, let’s hope they choose wisely",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/londons-future-is-in-the-hands-of-a-handful-of-conservatives-lets",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-11-12T05:23:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/londons-future-is-in-the-hands-of-a-handful-of-conservatives-lets-hope-they-choose-wisely/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "James Cleverly, Festus Akinbusoye and Sara Gezdari are the three Conservative hopefuls vying for the coveted position of Mayor of London. According to Alys Denby, being a Conservative in the city of London is akin to an arduous task, given the party's dwindling membership and the predominantly Labour-voting populace. This week, the three contenders will cast their votes in a bid to determine their party's representative for the mayoral seat.\n\nOut of the three, Sara Gezdari is the least recognized, although she hails from Albania and has a compelling narrative to share. Having grown up in an unstable economy where an AK-47 lay beside her bed, Gezdari's experiences forged her resolve to champion freedom, democracy, and prosperity. She aims to attract financial services firms back to the stock exchange and has voiced her opposition against the bank tax.\n\nFestus Akinbusoye is a Westminster councillor and former police and crime commissioner for Bedfordshire. His campaign is anchored on the promise to tackle crime head-on by deploying 40,000 additional police officers to the streets. He also advocates for a more pro-active and fun approach to governance. Akinbusoye believes his fresh perspective and lack of association with the previous Tory government gives him a significant edge in the election.\n\nJames Cleverly, on the other hand, relies on his extensive parliamentary background to make his case. As a former foreign secretary, Cleverly is well-versed in promoting London globally, with his expertise in policing and immigration from his time as Home Secretary. He is also determined to challenge the government's policies that adversely affect London, such as the proposed mansion tax and Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ). Cleverly's charisma and political acumen make him a formidable contender in the race.",
  "summary": "James Cleverly, Festus Akinbusoye and Sara Gezdari are competing to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. Here’s why that matters, according to Alys Denby Being a member of a political party may be a minority pursuit, but being a Conservative in London is something closer to masochism. The Party does not publish official [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}