Andrew Boff, chair of the London Assembly, has left the Conservative Party after 53 years as a member, over a disagreement about the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Boff was first elected to City Hall in 2008. He had recently launched his seventh bid to become the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London. He stepped down after the party, under leader Kemi Badenoch, said every candidate must support leaving the ECHR. Boff opposes that position.
"I will not surrender those principles in order to remain a member of any political party," he said.
He added that he had "not abandoned my Conservative principles", but believed "the party has abandoned some of its own".
What happens now
Boff isn't leaving City Hall. He will carry on as an independent member of the London Assembly, the body of elected members that scrutinises the Mayor. He also remains eligible for his role as chair.
How other members reacted
Fellow Conservative Emma Best called on Boff to step down from the Assembly altogether: "Stand down from the assembly for integrity's sake."
The City Hall Conservatives distanced themselves from her remarks. Their leader, Susan Hall, praised Boff's contribution while restating the group's support for the national party's position on the ECHR.
The Labour group credited Boff with "standing by his principles". Liberal Democrat leader Hina Bokhari said she had "enormous respect" for him.
Boff has broken with his party in public before, most notably when he heckled the then home secretary Suella Braverman at the 2023 party conference.
