The first Conservative hustings for the 2016 London Mayoral Election will be held in Finchley on Saturday 4 July.
Hosted by Conservative Way Forward (CWF) and chaired by LBC radio’s Iain Dale, the event will kick off at West Finchley tube station. Presumably in an attempt to draw a crowd, there’s a free bar from 3.30pm. Not all the Tory candidates have thrown their hats into the ring yet, but expect to hear from the confirmed contenders on the day:
- Sol Campbell – former footballer
- Stephen Greenhalgh – Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime
- Andrew Boff – Conservative London Assembly Member
- Ivan Massow – Businessman and entrepreneur
Zac Goldsmith, MP for Richmond Park, is also expected to run, pending the outcome of a ballot of his constituents. An initial YouGov poll on Tuesday revealed that were Goldsmith to stand, he would lose to Labour’s Tessa Jowell, but tie with Sadiq Khan.
Greenhalgh hasn’t found popularity in all quarters — Londonist’s Rachel Holdsworth sets out some of the reasons why — though in a kind of political snog, marry, avoid, he surely has to be better than George Galloway or (god forbid) Russell Brand.
A further Conservative hustings will be held at Centre for London on Monday 20 July. Reserve your tickets here.
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