JLC vice-president Korski enters London Tory mayoral race

Daniel Korski, a vice-president with the Jewish Leadership Council, has confirmed he has entered the race to become the Tory London mayoral candidate.

Korski,  a tech entrepreneur who worked as David Cameron’s deputy head of policy in Downing Street, released a video to promote his campaign on social media saying he wanted to be given the chance to take on current mayor Sadiq Khan with a manifesto that “goes beyond political divides” and “brings communities together” to allow “every Londoner to live the dream.”

The son of Polish Jewish refugees, who were expelled from the east European country in the late 1960s, Korski told Jewish News: “London has allowed me and so many people before me, including so many Jews, to live the London Dream. To get a house, a job and to build success in our community.

“But that’s not possible for increasing numbers of people. Housing is a challenge, roads clogged and crime is up. The Jewish community knows better than many others that too often our own streets can be unsafe to just walk on and be who you are.

“I want to fix that. I want to bring my entrepreneurial experience and community ethic to City Hall.

“I am proud of our community and have worked through the JLC and Jewish Museum to strengthen it. Now I want to support all Londoners.”

Nominations close on Wednesday next week for Tory candidates, with two or three candidates expected to be short-listed. A winner is due to be announced on July 19.

Korski said it was time for an ‘outsider’ to be given the chance to defeat Labour mayor Khan next May

Science minister George Freeman was one of the first to endorse Mr Korski, saying: “Innovation is what drives London – new jobs, a chance to build your own community, and a place where success comes to those who put in the work. Daniel knows what the conditions to bring this together are, and will do an excellent job as Mayor.”

Educated at the London School of Economics, where he gained a first, and at Cambridge University, as a British official, Korski worked in a number of positions in London, Washington DC, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan.

He has also written frequently for publications including The Spectator.

As well as his JLC role, Korski has just launched Forgotten Exodus, which aims to collect, preserve and share testimonies of Jews expelled from Poland during the then Communist government’s antisemitic 1968 campaign.

Writing for Jewish News on the topic last month, he observed:”My mothers family were among those expelled. Moshe and Ita Wajntraub weren’t prominent in any way.

“They weren’t members of the Communist party. Modest, hard-working people, they observed some Jewish occasions but were not particularly religious.”

Other Tory hopeful candidates include London Assembly members Susan Hall, Andrew Boff and Nick Rogers, plus Samuel Kasumu, a former Downing Street aide to Boris Johnson.

Minster for London Paul Scully is also expected to announce he is standing.

Mayor Khan, bidding to win the mayoral race for the third time, told BBC Radio London: “I think every Tory in London besides Boris Johnson is running to be the Tory candidate. I wish them all the best of luck.”