Britain’s first black police and crime commissioner has thrown his hat in the ring to challenge Sir James Cleverly in the race to be the Tory candidate for London mayor.
Festus Akinbusoye, a Westminster councillor, said he was the “fresh face” that the Conservatives needed to win in the capital again after more than a decade of Labour rule.
Who is Festus Akinbusoye?
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, in June 1978, Festus Akinbusoye moved to the United Kingdom with his parents and twin sister when he was 13. He grew up in Canning Town, East London.
Before entering elected politics, he spent more than two decades in business. According to his biography, he began his entrepreneurial journey as a teenager and later used a £2,000 loan from the Prince’s Trust to establish a business that grew from four employees to about 70 within a decade.
Today, Akinbusoye is a Conservative councillor representing Abbey Road Ward on Westminster City Council, where he serves as Deputy Cabinet Member for Enforcement. His current role places him at the heart of Westminster’s efforts on enforcement, public safety and neighbourhood management. In July 2026,
Britain’s First Black Police and Crime Commissioner
in May 2021, Akinbusoye was elected Bedfordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner giving him the responsibility for setting the strategic direction of policing in Bedfordshire and overseeing the force’s performance and budget.
His election was historic as he became Britain’s first Black police and crime commissioner, he also chaired the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, the Eastern Region Innovation Network and the Local Criminal Justice Board, while also serving on the boards of the College of Policing and the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. His tenure as commissioner ended in May 2024, after which Labour’s John Tizard succeeded him.
In 2023, he was selected as the Conservative candidate for the Mid Bedfordshire parliamentary by-election triggered by the resignation of former Conservative MP Nadine Dorries. The contest became one of the closely watched by-elections of the period, with Labour seeking to overturn a historically safe Conservative seat.
Akinbusoye came second, securing 12,680 votes, or 31.1%, against Labour candidate Alistair Strathern’s 13,872 votes, or 34.1% but in 2026, Akinbusoye returned to elected office in London as a Westminster City councillor for Abbey Road Ward.
Educational and Professional Background
Akinbusoye studied at City of Westminster College before completing a bachelor’s degree in Business and Communications and a master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy.
He also played professional basketball in Britain while studying, adding another dimension to a career that has moved across business, sport, policing and politics.
His professional trajectory is therefore unusual in British politics. Rather than entering public life directly from a conventional political or legal career, Akinbusoye moved through entrepreneurship and community service before becoming a police officer, elected police commissioner and, eventually, a Westminster councillor.
