Tory mayor hopeful James Cleverly vows to tackle London's cost of living by banning 'back door taxes'

Tory Mayoral hopeful James Cleverly has vowed to drive down the cost of living for Londoners by ending what he calls City Hall’s series of “back door” taxes.The former Home Secretary is the frontrunner to be his party’s candidate for the 2028 election and says he will review every cost that the Greater London Authority (GLA) “imposes” on Londoners in their day-to-day lives.This involves levies on motorists, homeowners and those paying inflated costs for new-build properties due to additional regulations.In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Cleverly also claimed that Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch is “passionate” about London’s success – and that the national party will have the capital at the heart of its interests.His campaign, insiders say, will have a laser focus on reducing the cost of living for the average Londoner.ULEZWhile many bills – energy, water and heating, for example – are external, levies such as Congestion Charge, TfL fare rises and the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) fee all add to the financial burden.It is the latter which has proven divisive in recent years. Sir Sadiq Khan’s decision to expand ULEZ to every London borough was widely blamed for Labour losing the 2023 by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, as well as some saying it cost him votes in the 2024 Mayoral race, though that was also regarded by others as evidence that Londoners broadly supported ULEZ.City Hall has doubled down on the move, however, suggesting that it has dramatically cleaned up London’s air.Cleverly presented his idea at the Centre for London SummitLDRSMr Cleverly indicated that he is inclined to review ULEZ, however – purely from a financial perspective.“The cost of living for Londoners has gone up and up and up,” he said.“In a lot of outer London, using a car is not a luxury. It is a necessity of life, in terms of getting your kids to school, in terms of helping elderly parents, shopping, even just getting to work, either in outer London or into the Home Counties.“If you’re a small business person, for example, you’ve got a van for work – it is an absolute necessity.”Read MoreThe Mayor’s office would point to the fact its scrappage scheme has already removed tens of thousands of older polluting cars from London’s streets and the more than 96 per cent of vehicles that do comply with the emissions limit don’t incur a daily charge.Mr Cleverly added: “I want to look at anything which adds to the cost of living for Londoners, and whether it’s vehicle taxing, road pricing, whatever it may be, I’m gonna look at it.“I haven’t made any commitments about what I’ll keep, what I’ll change, what I get rid of – but I want to look at all the costs that City Hall imposes on Londoners. The fact that Central London has got much, much much cleaner air now is great – a huge amount of improvement has been already delivered.“What I want to be careful of, what I want to keep an eye on, is City Hall trying to impose further taxes on Londoners through the back door. So that’s what I’m keeping an eye on. I struggle to see how my children can afford to live in London.”This doesn’t mean ripping up Sir Sadiq’s legacy entirely, however.Cleverly has given his full support to Tory leader Kemi BadenochLDRS“If I can see there are projects that he’s working on that are benefitting the city, I’ll continue them,” he explains. “But I think there’s a lot of missed opportunities there, and I think that that’s why London really needs a fresh start. That’s why I put myself forward.”Kemi’s ‘London bias’Despite representing parliamentary constituencies in Essex, both Mr Cleverly and Ms Badenoch started their political journey in the capital.Short stints in City Hall allowed both to get a flavour of what it’s like to hold the Mayor to account as members of the London Assembly.A decade on, the pair are seasoned Tories, having held front bench posts both in government and opposition. Mr Cleverly insisted that neither him nor the party leader have forgotten their London roots.“When London is doing well, the country as a whole does well,” he says. “I think the Conservatives get that and Kemi gets that. She was brought up in London. She served on the London Assembly, like me.“She’s passionate about the success of London and the role that it plays with the UK’s success more generally. Obviously, she’s staying neutral – she’s the party leader and can’t favour any particular candidate, but of course she and I have spoken about what London needs and what I think I can contribute to London.“She absolutely gets it. London’s success is national success and she totally understands that.”Despite championing Braintree as the constituency’s MP since 2015, Mr Cleverly made his career in the capital – going to school in Lewisham, joining the army in Woolwich, university in Ealing, and starting a business in Shoreditch before entering Westminster.He added: “I’ve got a classically London story and like everybody else, I suppose. I’m passionate about London’s success. The reason I’m putting myself forward now is I think that London, an amazing city, isn’t at the moment operating at its full potential. And I think the Mayor, who has not given as much energy to the job as I think the job deserves. ”Silver Medal?Two years ago, Mr Cleverly was in the running for Ms Badenoch’s role, with many political observers surprised he did not make the final two candidates in the Tory leadership race.Asked if being Mayor of London was a backup prize, the former Cabinet Minister said that the position was as important as a senior government role.He also claimed that a victory in City Hall was an “incredible important precursor” for the Tories taking power nationally once again.“I want to see Kemi as Prime Minister – for that to happen, we have to get a result in London,” he said.