London mayoral election: Who are the Tory candidates?

The four have been shortlisted for the Conservative nomination to replace Boris Johnson in 2016

The final four battling it out to be the Conservative choice for mayor (Getty Images)

The four Conservative candidates for Mayor of London have been announced after a hard fought race.

Seven candidates were interviewed by a selection panel at Conservative central HQ before the final four were announced at around 3pm.

Former footballer Sol Campbell, entrepreneur and gay rights activists Ivan Massow and Westminster Council leader Philippa Roe narrowly missed out on the opportunity to challenge Labour to succeed Boris Johnson at the election next May.

The news that Cllr Roe missed out will come as a surprise to many as she was widely expected to make it onto the shortlist, according to ConservativeHome who broke the story.

The final four are:

Zac Goldsmith is one of the four Tories nominated to succeed Boris Johnson (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

1. Zac Goldsmith

The Richmond Park MP came to national attention after he was elected in 2010 as one of David Cameron’s elite “A-List” candidates- before spending the next five years as a thorn in his boss’ side.

An environmental journalist before he came to parliament he had campaigned fiercely against a third runway at Heathrow and would continue to do so if elected as mayor.

He also is a proponent of “direct democracy” and even asked his constituents to vote in a local referendum he paid for himself to see whether he should run.

They backed him 4:1 and he formally announced his candidacy on 23rd June.

Syed Kamall is currently a Conservative MEP for London (Getty Images)

2. Syed Kamall

A former economist, Mr Kamall has been an MEP representing London since 2005.

The son of Guyanese immigrants, he has risen to the top of the Tory party and said in an interview with ConservativeHome that people have called on him to become Mayor because he isn’t “a typical Tory”.

He has been a member of the party since 1987 and has said one of his “passions” was social mobility and getting schools to help young people from impoverished backgrounds to achieve more. He said: “ if I can do it, you can do it.”

He believes both the left and the right have failed the poor in their own ways as people are not “the rational economic agents you read about in textbooks.”

Stephen Greenhalgh is the deputy mayor for policing and crime (Getty Images)

3. Stephen Greenhalgh

Mr Greenhalgh is currently Boris Johnson’s deputy mayor for policing and crime.

A former businessman and leader of Hammersmith & Fulham Council, he was named one of the Telegraph’s “100 Most Influential Right Wingers” every year between 2009 and 2011.

In an interview with City Am, he said he was the only candidate who had “spent over a decade in the engine room of London government”.

His policies include continuing his work to reduce victim-based crime, freeing up more land for house building and has suggested selling of Tfl land for a “£20bn windfall” to reduce fares.

He has not escaped controversy though. In his first few months at City Hall after he was reprimanded for “patting a female colleague’s bottom” in 2012.

Andrew Boff is a Conservative GLA member who has previously run for the Mayoral nomination (Andrew Boff/Twitter)

4. Andrew Boff

Mr Boff has been the Conservative leader within the London Assembly since 2012.

He is a veteran of London mayoral election contests having stood for the nomination in 2000, 2004 and 2008. He came second in 2000, behind the eventual candidate Steven Norris.

He is an openly gay libertarian who believes in direct democracy and making London a “more liveable place for families”, according to ConservativeHome.

He wants to pass legislation to encourage more developers to build low level housing with gardens rather than high rises and believes “self-builders” should be given public land to build their own home.

He also reduce staffing at City Hall by 25 per cent if he became Mayor in a bid to reduce council tax.