The 2021 elections for a new Mayor of London are fast approaching, and with a record breaking 20 candidates this year, the 6th May could bring a new leader for our capital.

This year, 6 of these hopefuls are women, and we’re excited. More representation in elections like this one is crucial for normalising women taking up positions of power, and whilst this election appears to remain a two man race between current mayor Sadiq Khan and his Tory rival Shaun Bailey, we applaud the women fighting for their spot.

But we wonder, is it enough for women to simply be in these male-dominated positions of power if they continue to uphold the systems that have held us down for so long? The glass ceiling may shatter, but who gets hurt by falling glass? The true #GirlBosses work with us, not against us.

So who are these 6 women, and what do they stand for? Let’s take a look at each candidate’s manifesto to see what they’re promising to fight for, so you can decide which #GirlBoss is worthy of your vote on 6th May.

Farah London (Independent)

Croydon-born businesswoman, Farah London is the founder and CEO of an award winning global government business forum, and has 20+ years of commercial, corporate and entrepreneurial experience under her belt.

Running independently, London says she, “represents all the people of London, not a political party”.

Over the past 20 years London has devoted herself to her community, and is an active volunteer for several social justice programs and charity organisations. Her community work, including caring for homeless people, supporting those with mental health issues, and helping young people avoid gang violence, has made a solid change and transformed lives in her area.

In her manifesto, London has pledged to “increase London’s supply of housing by simplifying planning rules and through expanding the development of private and public sector projects”, and also to reform council tax, with a promise to seek an exemption for under 25s who “spend a disproportionate amount of their income on accommodation”.

She’s labelled crime a priority on her website too, considering herself a passionate advocate for the police. London has stated that if elected, she would reverse current Mayor Sadiq Khan’s decision to close 38 of the 73 police stations with a front desk.

Valerie Brown (Burning Pink)

Valerie Brown describes herself as a mother, grandmother, activist and vigilante. On her website, Burning Pink, she states “[I] only have one policy, to give the power to the people”.

And it’s true! Brown aims to be ‘the last Mayor of London’, with her manifesto focusing on citizens assemblies, groups that are made up of randomly selected people from the city who would come together to make legally binding decisions on how to run transport, policing, health, education, and all things London.

If elected on 6th May, Brown would hand the power of the Mayor of London over to these citizens assemblies. She states this decision is because she wants a city that is “not just for the urban professional elite classes, as has been the case for decades”, but one that is run by the people, for the people.

Her website repeats over and over that she is not a politician, but rather just a real person who wants to see real change.

Brown’s final words on the website perfectly encapsulate her vision of being the Mayor of London –

“I will pull up my sleeves, inspire and lead, not from the front, but by working alongside you all.”

Vanessa Hudson (Animal Welfare Party)

Vanessa Hudson is the current leader of the Animal Welfare Party (AWP), which brands itself ‘The UK Political Party for People, Animals and the Environment’.

As expected of such a party, Hudson’s manifesto is centred around the environment of London, including a push for a carbon net zero status for the capital by 2025, and a pledge to expand the city’s biodiversity.

Hudson also aims to incentivise public transport use to improve air quality, promote plant-based diets to improve overall health of citizens, and to better protect London’s 9 million+ animals by ‘fostering a culture where speciesism is rejected’.

In her campaign she sums up her goals –

“Let’s consign speciesism, sexism, racism, and exploitation of nature to the past – so that health and opportunity belong to all – young and old, human and non-human.”

Luisa Porritt (Liberal Democrats)

Camden councillor and former Member of the European Parliament Luisa Porritt is the Liberal Democrat’s candidate up for election this year.

Her manifesto covers what Porritt has stated is most the lacking in the city:

“Jobs. Homes. Clean air. These are three basic needs and we’re being let down on all three.”

Porritt plans to ‘reinvent London’s high streets so that once again, they become thriving places at the heart of their communities’, and to fight for a rent relief fund for small businesses that have been hit hardest by the pandemic.

She pledges to bring empty houses back into use with a new London Housing Company, and create a ‘Housing First policy’, where ‘a roof over your heads is a right, not subject to any other conditions”.

When it comes to policing, Porritt has stated she understands there is a ‘record-low lack of trust in the police’ in the capital, and has vowed to tackle this by ‘changing the culture at the MET police’. This would include stop and search only when it is ‘intelligence led’, and more support for female victims that often go unheard.

The plan for cleaner air is to ‘re-wild’ London, with more trees and greenery planted on public walks and greener roofs thanks to solar panels and added vegetation.

Sian Berry (Green Party)

This year will be Green party candidate and co-leader Sian Berry’s third time putting herself forward for Mayor of London. She finished third behind Khan and his rival in the last election in 2016, and also stood in 2008, coming fourth.

Berry has stated she intends to focus on the city’s housing crisis, declaring that The Green Party is ‘the only party that Londoners can trust to deliver on their promises’ in regards to housing. She aims to prevent the loss of council housing by giving more residents the power to vote against demolition, and wishes to set up a People’s Land Commission for people in local areas to make their own plans for new homes.

This promise to share power with Londoners is at the heart of Berry’s manifesto, and she has vowed to let citizens have more say in decisions for the city, and to bring more diverse voices into City Hall.

Berry plans to continue this cooperation with the people of London when it comes to the climate crisis too, pledging to invest more in green energy and jobs, create funding to end fuel poverty and set the right targets to ‘solve the climate and ecological emergency before 2030’, all with the aid of Londoners. She also aims to achieve cleaner air with more green buses and an ultra-low emission zone to cover all of London.

She finishes her campaign with a promise: “London should be the greenest city in the world, and we can get there with a new Green mayor”.

Mandu Reid (Women’s Equality Party)

Mandu Reid, who has in the past worked for 3 of London’s previous Mayors, now stands as the leader of the Women’s Equality Party and their candidate for 2021.

Reid’s manifesto is, as expected of the WEP, centred around Women and the care sector, including promises to drive down zero hour contracts, drive up pay, and to build homes with social rents to stop workers being priced out of the city. Reid has also to aims to ensure that no woman is turned away from safe refuge by making London the UK’s first Sanctuary City, overriding the government’s ‘hostile environment policies’.

Much like the Burning Pink candidate Valerie Brown, Reid also pushes the involvement of citizens assemblies to assist with budgeting and decision making, but would hold them annually rather than handing all power over.

She is confident in her aims for the capital, saying that “London is ready to become the first gender-equal city in the world. As Mayor, we won’t have to imagine, because I will strive to make that happen”.

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Your vote counts. So who will you be voting for on 6th May?

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