Cleverly quits shadow cabinet to run for London mayor

Cleverly quits shadow cabinet to run for London mayor

Burnham's summer tour is over - now he has to prove himself in Parliament

Prime Minister Burnham's plans to devolve power from Westminster to London could be a major factor in the upcoming election

Sir James Cleverly, who resigned from the shadow cabinet on Saturday to run for Mayor of London, accused Andy Burnham of waging a 'war on London' and pursuing an 'anti-London agenda'

The senior Conservative claimed that devolution plans would centralise power in Manchester, rather than benefiting London

Clearly, this is not the first time Burnham has been at odds with Cleverly over issues of power and funding

As Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan has neither confirmed nor ruled out standing again

The government's fairer funding review could see some London councils face cuts to their funding settlements as part of a bid to redirect money to more deprived areas

Sir James Cleverly, who resigned from the shadow cabinet on Saturday to run for Mayor of London, has accused Andy Burnham's devolution drive would come at the expense of London, arguing the plans centralised power in Manchester.

On Saturday, Sir James announced he was quitting the Tory front bench as shadow secretary of state for housing, communities and local government to run for City Hall at the next mayoral election in 2028.

A government spokesperson said devolution plans would