The actor, the YouTuber, and the American businessman: Meet the eccentric cast vying to be London’s next Mayor

There are a record 20 candidates standing in the May 6 London Mayoral election and it has attracted some eccentric figures in British politics.

LONDON -- An American businessman with a penchant for loud suits. The actor with an “anti-woke” agenda. YouTubers with ironic campaigns. An intergalactic “space politician” who wears a trash can on his head. The incumbent Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is seeking re-election against 19 other candidates in a vote on May 6, and it is fair to say the field of prospective mayors is the weirdest, as well as the largest, the U.K. capital has ever seen. Khan, representing the Labour Party, which is in opposition to Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in the central government, is well known for his clashes with former President Trump and marshalling the city through a number of devastating terrorist attacks. He is set to be comfortably re-elected -- if recent polling is to be believed -- with Khan promising to “renew, rebuild and refresh London” in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic should he win another term. His main rival, the Conservative Shaun Bailey, is polling only 28%, compared to Khan’s 41%, according to the most recent polls. Bailey has attacked Khan’s record on housing and combatting crime but has consistently lagged behind the incumbent mayor in opinion polls and has a record of making controversial statements compared to Khan’s more conciliatory public messaging. Elsewhere, however, the field of candidates from outside Britain’s mainstream political parties looks increasingly bizarre.