In a concerning development, Laila Cunningham, the Reform UK candidate for the 2028 London mayoral race, has been revealed to have campaigned alongside Philip Stephenson-Oliver, a disgraced Tory figure embroiled in a “cocaine” scandal.
Cunningham, who has positioned herself as a tough-on-crime candidate, is now facing accusations of hypocrisy after it emerged that she happily posed for photographs with Stephenson-Oliver, who was exposed in 2023 for offering “fun flour” – a reference to cocaine – at a party attended by former Prime Minister David Cameron.
The revelations have sparked outrage, with a Labour councillor describing it as “disgraceful hypocrisy” for Cunningham to present herself as a crime-fighting crusader while associating with someone involved in such a scandal. A Labour source also suggested that Cunningham should “start by taking a closer look at the company she keeps” if she is serious about tackling crime in the capital.
Cunningham, a former Crown prosecutor and the granddaughter of a prison governor, has pledged to target “knife gangs, drug dealers, phone thieves, shoplifters” in a crackdown on crime if elected. However, her decision to campaign with Stephenson-Oliver, who was suspended by the Conservative Party over the cocaine allegations, has undermined her credibility on this issue.
The evidence shows that Cunningham posed for numerous photographs with Stephenson-Oliver, a self-described “influencer” and reservist soldier, during the 2024 election campaign. In one post, Stephenson-Oliver boasted about making Westminster Council Conservative again, while in another, he described Cunningham as “great” and part of his “team.”
Cunningham has defended her association with Stephenson-Oliver, claiming that the police had “exonerated” him following an investigation. However, the details of this investigation remain unclear, and the former Tory’s suspension from the party has not been publicly lifted.
The revelations come just a week after it was reported that Cunningham co-owns a London hotel that has been plagued by complaints of unsafe conditions and bed bugs, further undermining her credibility as a candidate focused on addressing the capital’s problems.
As the 2028 mayoral race heats up, Cunningham’s links to the scandal-hit Stephenson-Oliver are likely to come under intense scrutiny, potentially damaging her efforts to position herself as a tough-on-crime alternative to the incumbent mayor.