In a few short months, millions of Londoners will be heading to the polls to decide who will be the next Mayor of London.

The position is currently held by Labour's Sadiq Khan, who is hoping to win a historic third term in the role.

However, Khan faces competition including the likes of Liberal Democrat candidate Rob Blackie.

Rob was announced as the candidate for the Lib Dems back in August 2023, but who is he and what are his policies?

Who is Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of London Rob Blackie?

Described as a "serious challenger to Sadiq Khan", Rob grew up in Pimlico and now lives near Brixton running his own business as an adviser to start-up tech companies.

Rob is said to have been a lifelong Lib Dem and once served as Charles Kennedy's Director of Research during the Iraq War.

Since 2012, he has been the London Assembly candidate for Lambeth and Southwark and a Londonwide list candidate in 2016 and 2021.

Rob has previously shared that one night coming home from work he was violently mugged which saw him need surgery for a titanium neck by the NHS.

The Lib Dem candidate has previously been praised for founding the award-winning Breaking Putin's Censorship campaign that used digital advertising to get independent news about Ukraine to people in Russia.

Discussing his hopes of becoming Mayor of London, Rob said: "It is an absolute honour to have been selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor. London needs a liberal challenger to the Mayor - who has been a disappointment to many Londoners."

He added: "For far too long people in London have been let down by Labour and the Conservative plan for London shows that they are not serious about tackling our city’s problems."

What are Lib Dem candidates for Mayor of London Rob Blackie's policies?

Rob has shared that he has several things he wants to change for London, with one of his main focuses to "fix the Met".

RECOMMENDED READING

The Lib Dems explain: "Rob will get the Met focused on convicting violent offenders and rapists, instead of stop and search."

Rob's list of policies according to his website are:

  • Fix the Met
  • A Green Recovery
  • Keep London Welcoming
  • Build More Houses
  • Accessible public transport

Controversies

The Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of London has previously faced some mixed reactions after calling the TfL fare freeze by Khan as "phoney" and "an election gimmick which will benefit tourists more than Londoners”.

He suggested that although single-journey prices will stay the same, daily and travelcard costs will rise by as much as 5.1%.