Siobhan Benita has stood down as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London, citing the postponement of the election to next year.
Benita was selected in November 2018 and has since been a prominent figure in the party’s campaigns in London, including the European Parliament contest and last December’s General Election.
However she says the need to delay the election, originally scheduled to take place this May, due to the Coronavirus pandemic means she’s unable to continue.
Benita said: “The demands of being a candidate are significant, particularly for an election of this scale, 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 party says details on the selection of a new candidate will be announced “in due course.”
Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey commented: “I’ve known Siobhan for several years and she is an incredibly inspiring woman.
“Her campaign for a greener, fairer London helped us double our vote in London in the last election. I’m very sorry to see Siobhan stand down at this time, but she will continue to be a huge asset to our party.”
