The Conservatives have picked London assembly member Susan Hall as their candidate to challenge Sadiq Khan for Mayor of London next year.
Ms Hall beat rival Mozammel Hossain in a ballot of Tory members, winning 57 per cent of the vote to be selected.
Labour immediately branded the Tory candidate a “hard-right politician” – pointing to her support for Donald Trump, hard Brexit, and Liz Truss’s economic policies.
A dossier of previous statements by Ms Hall collated by Labour shows her support for the controversial US president. In 2020 she posted: “Come on Donald Trump – make sure you win”.
And last year she expressed her “deep joy” following Liz Truss mini budget, which caused financial chaos.
The Independent reported in February 2022 that Ms Hall had caused an outcry after saying the Black community has a “problem with crime.”
In a post on social media following her selection Ms Hall said: “It is a huge honour to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London, I’m so grateful to everyone for their support.
“Thanks to [Mozammel Hossain] for his positive and hard fought campaign. I will work tirelessly to defeat Sadiq Khan and offer Londoners the change we need. “
The 2024 London mayoral election is due to be held on 2 May 2024. A poll by Redfield & Wilton released last month found Sadiq Khan with a theoretical 8 per cent lead over an as-yet-unnamed Tory opponent.
A spokesperson for London Labour said: “The Conservative candidate for Mayor is a hard-right politician who couldn’t be more out of touch with our city and its values. She’s an outspoken supporter of Trump, Boris Johnson and a hard Brexit. She cheered Liz Truss’s mini-budget, which sent mortgages and rents soaring. She doesn’t stand up for women. And she hates London’s diversity.
“Londoners deserve better than a candidate who represents the worst of the Tory failure and incompetence over the last 13 years.
“The London election next year will be a two-horse race and the choice is clear – a Labour Mayor with a positive vision who will continue to build a fairer, greener and safer London for everyone, or the extreme Tory candidate, who stands for cuts to London’s public services, inequality and division. The Tories have failed the country. They can’t be trusted to run London.“
