Lib Dem candidate Siobhan Benita quits race to become London mayor
Siobhan Benita, the Liberal Democrats’ candidate for next year’s London mayor election, has stepped down after coronavirus delayed the vote until May 2021.
Benita announced her decision today, saying the unpaid role was “very difficult to combine with other work”.
Originally Londoners were set to vote on a new mayor in May 2020. However, the pandemic pushed the vote back by a whole year.
Benita was selected to take part in the London mayor race in November 2018 but said she cannot continue in the unpaid position.
“It has been a privilege to campaign as the Lib Dem candidate for the past 18 months,” she said, thanking those who have supported her bid so far.
“The demands of being a candidate are significant, particularly for an election of this scale,” she added. “The nature of the role, which is unpaid, makes it very difficult to combine with other work. Sadly, at this stage, I’m simply not able to commit to another full year of campaigning. I wish the very best of luck to my successor and look forward to supporting their campaign for a better London.”
The 12-month delay to the vote for a London mayor was announced just 12 days before lockdown began back in March.
Benita becomes the second major candidate to leave the contest after independent candidate Rory Stewart stood down in early May.
“While the considerable challenges of running as an independent were manageable for a normal race, they are forbidding for an extended and delayed election,” Stewart said at the time.
The Lib Dems have now kicked off an internal party selection process to find a new candidate.
“We have started the necessary internal process towards selecting a new candidate and will make an announcement in due course,” the Lib Dems’ London chair, Ben Sims, said. “As we look forward to shaping our post-covid future, the Liberal Democrats will offer Londoners the progressive change they demand.”
“It is with sadness that we understand Siobhan’s decision to step down at this time,” he added. “We put on record our sincere thanks and wish her the very best of luck in the future.”
Acting leader of the Lib Dems Ed Davey called Benita an “incredibly inspiring” woman.
“I’m very sorry to see Siobhan stand down at this time, but she will continue to be a huge asset to our party,” he added.