A former Wall Street and City banker has said he will stand for London mayor for the second time in a row.
Brian Rose, who is originally from the USA but has lived in London for the past two decades, said the capital “desperately needs a mayor who isn’t part of the political establishment, and who can lead this great city from the front”.
Mr Rose stood for his own party, London Real, in the last mayoral election in 2021. He came seventh out of 20 candidates - with 1.2 per cent of the vote.
He said that the contest so far “has been an insufferable slugging match between two of the most lacklustre characters in British politics”, adding: “Barely a quarter of Londoners think [Labour mayor Sadiq] Khan has done a good job – it’s time for a different solution.
“It’s time for London to elect a leader who cares about the citizens of the capital and cares about protecting their rights.”
The candidate has pledged to ensure “freedom of speech is protected” and wants to “make London a ‘crypto-first’ city” by “positioning it as world leader for blockchain technology”.
He has also said he would “deliver a London transport system fit for purpose” by privatising Transport for London and abolishing the Ultra low emission zone.
Mr Rose is the founder of the media firm London Real, and also offers various business mentorship courses through his London Real Academy.
He faced questions during the 2021 election that hundreds of those who had signed up to the courses believed they were misled over what they included, and had requested refunds.
Mr Rose said he had graduated “over 5000 students from 108 countries around the world”, but that “like any business, there’s always a few people that aren’t always happy with the experience”.
Footage also emerged during the campaign of a since-deleted video which he had posted to Instagram in 2018 captioned ‘Today I Will Drink My Own Urine’. In the clip, the former banker notes the dehydrated colour of his urine, before taking a sip. After drinking, he reportedly said he found it ‘a little salty’.
Mr Rose is thought to be one of 12 candidates currently in the race for London mayor. Labour’s Sadiq Khan is seeking an historic third term at City Hall, challenged by Conservative candidate Susan Hall, the Green Party’s Zoe Garbett, Liberal Democrat Rob Blackie and Reform UK’s Howard Cox.
A 13th candidate, George Galloway, had declared his intention to stand but has since been elected as MP for Rochdale, leaving his candidacy unclear. Mr Galloway has also suggested he is considering a run against Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham.
Two candidates have already pulled out of the London mayoral race before nominations close on Wednesday, March 27.
Independent contender Rayhan Haque said earlier this month that he had failed to break through in the polls, and that given the unlikelihood of him winning, he did not want to “splinter the progressive vote”.
According to the only London mayoral poll this year - conducted by YouGov in February - independent candidates and those from minor parties are on track to collectively receive just four per cent of the vote.
The remaining 96 per cent of voters intend to support either Labour, the Conservatives, the Greens, the Lib Dems or Reform UK.
Another independent, Serge Crowbolder, has also announced his withdrawal from the contest, as he has been unsuccessful in raising the required £10,000 deposit to stand.
The London mayoral election will take place on May 2, along with elections to the London Assembly.
