The Liberal Democrat candidate for the Mayor of London has pulled out of the race

Siobhan Benita from New Malden says as it’s an unpaid position, she’s not able to commit to another year of campaigning.

A YouGov poll in March found Mrs Benita had just 4% of the vote, putting her behind the Green Party and independent Rory Stewart.

The election has been postponed until next year due to COVID-19.

The party is in the process of selecting a new candidate.
 
Siobhan Benita says:

“It has been a privilege to campaign as the Lib Dem candidate for the past 18 months. I am immensely grateful to all the fabulous party members, volunteers and friends who supported my campaign and shared this experience with me.

“London is the best city on Earth and that is because of the amazing people who live and work here. I have been both inspired and humbled by all the individuals and organisations I’ve had the pleasure to meet across the capital. Londoners have enormous resilience, creativity and passion and I have every faith in their ability to overcome even the most challenging times that lie ahead.

“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.”