Penny Mordaunt urged to run for London Mayor to boost the Tories’ comeback bid

PENNY Mordaunt is being urged to run for London Mayor in a bid to stick rocket boosters under the Tory fightback.

Insiders believe the former Defence Secretary is the only senior Tory in with a shot in the city in 2028.

Last week she wrote a 900-word opinion piece for the London Standard newspaper waxing lyrical about the capital.

She described it like: “The aerodynamics of the bumble bee. It shouldn’t work — but somehow it does.”

Ms Mordaunt said London gets into your veins and doesn’t care “where you’re from, only where you’re going”.

A source said: “She’s certainly got the X-factor we need.”

She became a global hit after carrying the 4ft Sword of State perfectly upright for two hours during King Charles’s Coronation.

She had been tipped as a future Tory leader but lost her seat in the General Election.

Allies say she is still weighing up her options.

Former Foreign James Cleverly is another name doing the rounds.

Asked by the FT if he would run for London Mayor, he told the FT: “I’m not going to rule anything in or anything out.”

But he added: “We do need to fight back in London.”