Michael Bloomberg ‘considering running for mayor of London’
Michael Bloomberg, the American billionaire businessman, three-time New York mayor and philanthropist, is considering running as Tory candidate for London mayor in 2016, it has been claimed
05 Apr 2015
By Our Foreign Staff
Michael Bloomberg wants to return to being a mayor ? but in London, not New York, according to reports.
The three-time New York mayor is “considering” standing as the Tory candidate to be mayor of London in 2016, unnamed friends told The Sunday Times.
However, a close aide of Mr Bloomberg later distanced the billionaire businessman, three-time New York mayor and philanthropist from a move to London.
Mr Bloomberg, 73, was given an honorary knighthood by the Queen last year for his charity work in Britain, and is on the boards of the Serpentine gallery and Old Vic theatre.
He has a 20 million house in Knightsbridge and has previously referred to London as his “second home”.
Michael Bloomberg ‘considering running for mayor of London’
If it were to happen, Mr Bloomberg would be replacing his friend Boris Johnson, who was himself born in America, and who joked two years ago that the pair should do a “job swap”.
Steve Hilton, former adviser to David Cameron, told The Sunday Times: “It would be an incredible coup for London if Mike Bloomberg could be persuaded to run for mayor here. His kind of pragmatic, problem-solving leadership is exactly what London needs.”
If Mr Bloomberg were to run, he would need fast track citizenship ? which usually takes five years. However, a Conservative Party source told The Sunday Times that they “don’t think it would be a problem” ? because Mr Bloomberg has invested more than 500 million in Britain, the paper reported.
However, Mr Bloomberg’s former deputy mayor, Howard Wolfson, poured cold water on the prospect of a Bloomberg run for (London’s) City Hall.
“You can quote me on the record ruling it out,” he told theNew York Post.
“He is flattered, but he loves New York City too much to leave it ? and knows how tough it will be for anyone to follow Boris.”
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