Cleverly vows to slash new London home prices by £100,000 and fight Burnham's 'war on London'

From the Newshound archive · first published 4 October 2026.

Sir James Cleverly, the Conservatives' expected London mayoral candidate, has claimed he can cut the price of new-build homes in the capital by £100,000 if elected, warning that talent is fleeing London at an unsustainable rate. Around 600,000 people left London in a single year, according to ONS figures, with young workers priced out to towns like Braintree and Maidstone. Cleverly pledged to make the 2028 London mayoral race a referendum on both housing costs and EU rejoining.

Cleverly warned that rejoining the EU would 'kill off London's tech sector', citing the UK's position as the world's third largest AI hub under its own regulatory regime.

The former foreign secretary vowed to oppose what he called Andy Burnham's 'war on London', positioning himself as the capital's defender ahead of the May 2028 vote.

Cleverly, 57, said the London role would be his 'last big job in politics' — a striking admission for a man who has held both the Home and Foreign Secretary briefs.