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Laila Cunningham named party’s candidate for London Mayor election: What is her city plans?
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- Web Desk
- Yesterday
LONDON: Reform UK has named Laila Cunningham as its candidate for the 2028 London mayoral election, with the former prosecutor pledging to scrap the capital’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and launch a major crackdown on crime.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Cunningham would serve as the figurehead for the party’s campaign, describing the upcoming elections as the “single most significant” test ahead of the next general election.
Cunningham, who was born in Egypt, previously served as a Crown Prosecution Service prosecutor. She was elected to Westminster City Council as a Conservative in 2022 before defecting to Reform UK last year, becoming the party’s first representative on a London borough council.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, the 43-year-old said her priority as mayor would be tackling London’s rising crime rates, criticising Labour Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan, who has led the capital since 2016.
LIVE: A special announcement from Reform UK. 👀 https://t.co/bgSgFnQ0No
— Laila Cunningham (@policylaila) January 7, 2026
“There will be a new sheriff in town, and I’ll be launching an all-out war on crime,” she said, pledging to prioritise knife crime, drugs, robbery, shoplifting and rape.
Cunningham said she would rewrite London’s police and crime plan, giving “new marching orders” to the Metropolitan Police and focusing on priorities rather than recruitment levels.
She also confirmed she would scrap ULEZ if elected. “I’d scrap ULEZ, because I don’t think a war on motorists helps anyone,” she said.
