I’m not embarrassed by wealth creation. London’s next mayor shouldn’t be either, writes Conservative candidate Sara Gezdari

In 1997, my birth country fell apart. Albanian families had poured their savings into pyramid schemes that promised easy returns. When the schemes collapsed, the state collapsed with them – law and order almost vanished overnight. I have memories of sleeping next to an AK-47. 

This isn’t a story I tell to garner sympathy. It’s why I am a Conservative. I saw what happens when savings vanish and the rule of law gives way, serving as a stark reminder that prosperity must be actively built and can never be taken for granted. If only politicians over the past decade had understood this about London.

We had the foundations to prosperous, thriving communities. It is why I stayed here in London after a period of foster care in Italy. Our city had a social contract; its people worked hard and their aspirations were, yes, within reach, but more importantly, they were within London. This gave me the opportunity of a lifetime – to build a career in business and investments, become British and raise my two children. To me, that is the true London dream. 

But a decade of Sadiq Khan and Labour in City Hall is shattering this dream for too many young, ambitious talents. I refuse to accept that this is London’s future.  

I’m not exhausted by wealth creation

Unlike Khan, I am on the side of enterprise and those who generate wealth in our city. It is conducive to opportunity, which Labour is fast erasing as part of its crusade against business. Profit is not a dirty word. I’ve spent my career in investments. I know that private investors are not going to put money into something if they aren’t going to be rewarded and make profits out of it. Housebuilders are a prime example here –  if we are going to get homes built and the housebuilder makes profits, then it’s a win-win; more housing stock and a company willing to go and repeat it on another site. 

I’m not embarrassed by wealth creation. London’s next mayor shouldn’t be either. When it comes to our financial sector, we need a champion of the London Stock Exchange, not an ideologue who gets squeamish every time a private entity makes a bit of cash. Some of our most successful businesses are fleeing to New York because the initial public offering (IPO) process is too expensive and too slow here: tens of billions worth of London-listed companies have announced or executed plans to move across the pond in recent years. So many opportunities squandered and London dreams never to be fulfilled. Our city cannot go on like this. 

We risk failing our banks too. Our tax burden on banks is estimated as 46.2 per cent by PwC, compared with 39 per cent in Frankfurt and just 28 per cent in New York. Labour can never be trusted to resist their socialist urge to raise taxes. They have already doubled the bank surcharge, threatening flagship projects like JP Morgan’s Canary Wharf development that is set to house 12,000 employees. London needs a Mayor in City Hall who has the backbone to tirelessly take the fight to this Labour government with our pro-finance, pro-growth case. 

London shouldn’t be pitched against Manchester

When he’s not making it harder for wealth creators, Andy Burnham is pursuing his obsession with pitching London against Manchester – as if we should only ever be looking inwards to compete as a city. Our competition is on an international level, with cities like Paris, Milan, Tokyo and New York. Londoners are crying out for a bit of this ambition as when we succeed, so does the rest of the country. I want to showcase London to the world as a thriving ambassador for Britain, not a city that failed to create opportunities for the brightest and best due to excessive taxation and overregulation. 

Being an unashamed supporter of business is only one part of my plan for London, but it underpins it all. Prosperity rests on foundations, and as Mayor I will rebuild each one of them: police on our streets who know City Hall has their back in keeping families safe – not suing them like the current Mayor; homes built on brownfield land so aspirational Londoners have a fighting chance to finally own a place of their own; transport that gets commuters to work on time; and a City Hall that treats every pound of your money with respect. None of that is possible without the jobs, investment and revenue that enterprise creates. 

I’ve spent a lot of time on doorsteps, from Harrow to Earl’s Court and Richmond to Clapham, talking with Conservative members and activists who will choose our candidate. Their message has been consistent. They want a fresh face who will make the Conservative case unapologetically and win back the Londoners who have stopped believing City Hall is on their side. That is exactly the campaign I intend to run. 

London gave me a chance, and I want every Londoner who works hard to feel that their ambition will be rewarded here, not exported elsewhere. That is London’s social contract, and that is the London dream. As Mayor, I will renew both. 

Sara Gezdari is prospective Conservative candidate for Mayor of London