Cleverly's Calculated Gamble: A Conservative Bid for London's Top Job James Cleverly's decision to run for mayor of London is not as surprising as it may seem, given the Conservative Party's shift to the right under Kemi Badenoch's leadership.
Cleverly's calculus is likely more nuanced than a bid for prime minister; he's aiming for a different tune – one of centrist Conservatism with a dash of nostalgia for the pre Brexit era.
Cleverly's "classically Conservative" campaign seeks to present him as a unifying force in London.