Last month, after 16 years of Labour control, Conservatives became the largest party on Enfield Council, winning 31 seats to Labour’s 27.
Alessandro Georgiou, now Leader of Enfield Council and a London Assembly Member, says the result destroys the assumption that London is a political write-off for Conservatives.
For a decade, London Conservatives were told, often by their own side, that demographics and arithmetic had settled the question against them permanently.
Georgiou argues that Enfield proved that theory wrong, and that the lessons learned there should now fuel James Cleverly’s campaign for Mayor of London.
The Enfield campaign was built on specific, verifiable commitments rather than broad promises, including action on failed low traffic neighbourhoods and high street decline.
Conservatives pledged 30 minutes of free parking, stronger trading standards enforcement, and a return to weekly bin and recycling collections to tackle fly-tipping.
Georgiou has sat on the London Assembly for two years and says he has watched Labour fail London’s businesses at a larger scale throughout that time.
He argues firms have absorbed higher employer national insurance and business rates uncertainty, and need a Mayor willing to fight when Whitehall reaches into London’s pockets.
Cleverly served on the London Assembly from 2008 to 2016, chaired the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, and ran both the Foreign Office and the Home Office.
His recent shadow housing brief also placed him directly at the centre of the question that determines whether young Londoners can afford to remain in the city.
Georgiou says the Mayoralty demands an understanding of where its powers begin and end, and the standing to demand action where the Mayor cannot act alone.
As Foreign Secretary, Cleverly represented Britain abroad and promoted London as a destination for investment in competition with New York, Paris, Dubai, and Singapore.
Georgiou writes: “We need a Mayor who has represented Britain at the highest level and has the experience to go out and compete for that business.”
He argues that international standing is only useful if it translates into investment and opportunity at home, and that must be the measure of success.
Georgiou is declaring his support for Cleverly early, saying Enfield was not won in the final three weeks but across four years of consistent, specific campaigning.
He acknowledges this is a longer and less exciting road than waiting for the national mood to shift, but insists it is the only road that works.
The Enfield result, he concludes, does not mean London will be easy to win, but it does firmly undermine the assumption that defeat there is inevitable.