Reform UK select Howard Cox as London mayoral candidate

Reform UK have selected Howard Cox to run as its candidate in the London mayoral elections in May.

Mr Cox, the founder of the Fair Fuel UK campaign, says he is standing on a platform to "get London moving".

Reform UK, previously the Brexit Party, was founded by Nigel Farage in 2018.

Mr Cox told the BBC: "I'm reluctantly standing as a candidate, but something needs to change. I am offering common sense popular policies."

The 69-year-old businessman, who runs Fair Fuel UK, a lobbying group that campaigns to reduce charges on diesel and petrol powered vehicles, said he wanted to "get London back to where it should be".

Asked about his top three policies, Mr Cox said he would focus primarily on supporting motorists.

"On day one I am getting rid of the entire Ultra Low Emission Zone and removing all of the cameras.

"I will also scrap LTNs (Low Traffic Neighbourhoods), 20mph zones and make cycle lanes smaller so that we can get rid of congestion."

He said he wanted to "reduce emissions big time", but added that the way to do that was not "by hitting poor people and small businesses".

His other priorities include tripling the number of police officers on the roads to "help people feel safer and reduce crime" and triple the number of affordable housing that is built in the capital.

Mr Cox, who has been a lifelong supporter of the Conservative Party, said that he decided to stand as a Reform UK candidate as he is "sick with where we are right now and all the promises and lies coming out of the party".

He said that he was encouraged to run "after receiving thousands of messages from Londoners asking for change".

Mr Cox told the BBC: "I know it is going to be an uphill struggle for a small party, but I am a businessman not a politician so I am not frightened to make big and important decisions that will help get London moving".

Five other people have been chosen as candidates for the London mayoral elections. They are:

The mayoral elections will take place on 2 May 2024.