Odds on Next London Mayor: Elba, Middleton & More

_{Idris Elba, rumoured to be a top Labour pick, is one of several celebrities backed by bookmakers as potential candidates to become the next Mayor of London. (Image: Bang Media International / Alamy)}

Actors are known for taking on tough roles, but could the likes of Idris Elba or Eddie Izzard become mayors of London one day?

It sounds like a plot for the next Line of Duty series, but Hollywood movie star Elba is one of the latest celebrities to have been linked to replacing the current London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and Dragons' Den star Deborah Meaden has also been mentioned.  

Khan won a third term in City Hall in May 2024 and will stay in power until at least 2028. He is expected to quit the role ahead of the next London mayoral election, which will likely take place in 2028.

Will Khan depart the role amid a flurry of star-studded competition to be mayor? For now, he is favoured by bookmakers to be the next London mayor, but there are several celebrities in contention.

Ant Middleton, Jeremy Clarkson, Piers Morgan and Laurence Fox all have prices chalked up by bookmakers; albeit, the latter is a massive 100/1.

The Wire actor Elba and businesswoman extraordinaire Meaden have been mentioned recently as Labour's possible next London mayor candidates, but could a celebrity actually do the job? 

Elba Top of Labour’s Wish List

Idris is no stranger to current affairs as a campaigner against knife crime and gang violence in the capital, working alongside Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and it could be an asset to have someone with Elba's star quality in charge of the capital.

Idris, a Hackney native, is reportedly at the top of Labour leaders' wish list to run for the London Mayor position.

A senior party source recently told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "Idris has star appeal but he is also a thoughtful political campaigner.

"Labour have a choice about who we choose to run in London. We can pick a Labour insider and try to make them famous.

"Or we can pick someone famous aligned with Labour. Idris would be at the absolute top of our wish list."

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Could Elba resonate with the people of London? Perhaps more so than some, or arguably most, politicians. He's been linked to the coveted James Bond part and now the London Mayor role.

Elba has previously said he is "not going to be that guy" when asked about 007, but he's yet to deny potentially replacing Khan.

He's 3/1 to be the next celebrity to be elected as London Mayor, but the next term may come too early for him – because he's likely to have plenty more offers from the bright lights of Hollywood.

Despite the latest speculation, it's 4/6 for the star not to be chosen as Labour's London mayor candidate for the next election.

He Who Dares, Wins 

Elba doesn't feature in the bookmakers' odds for the next London mayor, but one celebrity who does is 16/1 outsider Ant Middleton.

The former SAS: Who Dares Wins chief instructor has made no secret of the fact he wants to go up against Khan to be the next mayor of London. In February, he wrote, X: "I will be mayor of London, let me reassure you! It is truly only a matter of time..."

And just days ago, Middleton reiterated his desire to be mayor of London, and he urged Khan to "hand over the keys" to City Hall, insisting he has "no time to waste" in transforming the capital city.

He wrote on X: "It would seem that our government is crumbling… Including London. Surprise, surprise! Hand over the keys to London sooner rather than later, please, @MayorofLondon, as I’ve no time to waste transforming our honourable capital into a safe haven for the people but also into the British crown jewel that it should be.

I have so many plans for London and I can’t wait to get started. Not just Londoners will hugely benefit from my plans but the entire country (sic)."

If any celebrity is to become mayor of London, then Middleton looks to be a worthy favourite for now, but it may, one day, be up to Londoners to decide whether or not he is worthy of doing the job.

The ex-special forces soldier is the 2/1 frontrunner to be the next celebrity chosen as London Mayor, leading the way over 4/1 shot Jeremy Clarkson.

_{Deborah Meaden joined Sir Keir Starmer in Camden for Labour’s small business push. Could she become future London Mayor? (Image: PA Images / Alamy)}

Clarkson has reinvented himself as a farmer in recent years and has done a fantastic job at raising awareness of the plight of British farmers on his Amazon Prime Video show Clarkson's Farm.

While he might be far too busy on his Diddly Squat Farm to take on the top London job, the show has no doubt won him some fans in politics, which could help him launch a Mayor of London bid should he wish to proceed with one.

Deborah's Star Power

While Labour chiefs are thought to be keen for Elba to represent them in the next Mayor of London election, Dragons' Den star Meaden was tipped as the party's potential number one candidate for City Hall late last year.

In December, a senior Labour Party source said to The Sun on Sunday newspaper, "Deborah’s name is being talked about. She has star power and business know-how, and she is close to Rachel Reeves."

Meaden is a 7/2 chance to be the next celebrity elected as London Mayor after previously supporting Reeves via social media. Others who might be in contention include Izzard, who is 6/1, and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who is an 8/1 chance.

Oliver previously backed Khan's free school meals policy, and another of Khan's supporters ahead of the 2024 election was former Love Island star Georgia Harrison.

Harrison is a 16/1 outsider to be London Mayor one day, while capital city legends Gary Oldman (25/1) and David Beckham (33/1) are huge outsiders to take on the role.