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Sir James Cleverly accused Andy Burnham of waging ‘war with London’ as he confirmed he wants to replace Sir Sadiq Khan. The former Tory Foreign and Home Secretary warned the Prime Minister, “the UK cannot be successful as a country unless London is successful”. And Sir James, who is quitting Kemi Badenoch’s top team, said a successful campaign in the capital could propel the party to power nationally again.

Labour incumbent Sir Sadiq Khan is halfway through his third term and has not confirmed whether he will stand again in May 2028. His departure opens up a vacancy amid rumours of a reshuffle planned for next month, when Parliament returns from the summer recess. Sir James told LBC on Sunday: “The fact is Andy Burnham, for all his careful phraseology, is basically very, very anti-London. You can see this not just in what he’s saying but in what he’s doing. He’s stripping hundreds of millions of pounds out of the budget of London councils.”

Under the Government’s fairer funding review, which was launched during Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership, some London councils face cuts to funding settlements as part of a bid to redirect cash to more deprived areas.

The Tory leaders of Westminster, Wandsworth and Kensington and Chelsea councils have said they are being forced to significantly increase council tax or slash services to plug a shortfall.

Taking aim at Mr Burnham, Sir James said: “He is blaming London for London’s own success. The UK cannot be successful as a country unless London is successful as a city. And I see this in Braintree. Andy Burnham just doesn’t get it….He’s got a war with London, and London needs someone to fight its corner.”

He added: “It is a centralising of power in Andy Burnham’s favoured place, which is, you know, in his own backyard, and everyone else is going to suffer. And London particularly, because he is putting forward a very anti-London agenda.”

The Government has defended changes to the allocations, arguing they are “fixing an outdated funding system” whereby some of the wealthiest parts of the country “benefitted from exceptionally high levels of government support, while communities facing greater pressures lost out”.

Speaking to Times Radio, he said success in London could be key to returning the Tories to power nationally, likening the prospect to Boris Johnson’s victory as mayor in 2008 before the Conservatives won the 2010 general election.

“London’s not just regional government. London is the economic centre, cultural centre, and political and diplomatic centre of the UK. It is a truly global city with truly global reach,” he said.

“And as we saw when Boris Johnson put himself forward for mayor of London, success in London, a good result in London, a win in London, is a really important part of getting the Conservatives back into government at the national level.”