Zac Goldsmith

By Laura Hughes

Zac Goldsmith has been elected as the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London after a landslide victory

Mr Goldsmith, who secured 70 per cent of the vote, said that he is "honoured" to be the Conservative candidate and that he will "work tirelessly to repay that debt".

He said his "biggest challenge" will be the housing crisis, and that he London needs a "step change" in the number of homes being built.

Mr Goldsmith is passionately opposed to a third runway at Heathrow Airport and his position could put him into direct conflict with the government, which is expected to announce a decision on a third runway within the next month.

Speaking to LBC radio, Mr Goldsmith said he would support David Cameron’s renegotiation “at the moment” but would see what was won before deciding how to vote in the referendum, due before the end of 2017.

The Tory MP added that he would not say it is “likely” that the Prime Minister will secure enough changes to convince him to vote to stay in.

11:40

Mr Goldsmith says filling Boris' shoes is "not even an option"

Speaking on Sky news the Conservative candidate said he wouln't be able to fill the shoes of the current London Mayor Boris Johnson

11:18

Boris Johnson tweets Zac Goldsmith is a 'fighter'

11:00

Who is Zac Goldsmith, the new Tory candidate for London Mayor?

The Looker: Mr Goldsmith was repeatedly featured at the top a website asking people to pick the sexiest politician in Britain.

He was number one on the list in 2011, but has since slipped to seventh behind the likes of Richard Drax, Dominic Raab and Owen Paterson, Ben Riley- Smith reports.

The Tory MP’s looks were described by Decca Aitkenhead in a 2009 Guardian interview as making “all those clichés about gilded youth suddenly make sense, with his sculpted cheekbones, beestung lips, honied voice and tall, liquid grace”.

Mr Goldsmith has one child with his wife Alice Rothschild and another three from his first marriage to Sheherazade Bentley.

10:40

Sadiq Khan invites Zac Goldsmith to join him in opposing the Conservative's Housing Bill

David Cameron and George Osborne have also taken to Twitter to congratulate Mr Goldsmith

10:31

Zac Goldsmith says he wants to build 50,000 new homes a year

Mr Goldsmith told London Loves Business: “I love this city. I’ve been here all my life and I worry about the future. It is a great capital, but the pressures are immense, and I think if we get it wrong then we will no-longer be the great city that we are now and we are at a pinch-point in my view.”

“There are still challenges and over the next four years the mayoral term will have to cope with a surging population, find record investment for transport, and we’re going to have to work very hard to improve the living environment in London – air quality, green spaces and so-on.”

Mr Goldsmith said the number one issue for Londoners is the housing crisis, and said he wants to build 50,000 new homes a year “just to narrow the gap between supply and demand”.

He said: “If we don’t get to grips with the housing crisis, for example – I think that probably is the number one crisis – London will become a very divided and unhappy place and we’ll see that the great people who make London what it is are being priced out, and I don’t think that’s in anyone’s interests. So I want to get involved, I guess I’m a campaigner, I like to get things done, and I think I can.”

10:11

Candidates repond to the Mr Goldsmith's victory

09:54

Zac Goldsmith tells LBC that he supports the PM's reform agenda in Europe 'at the moment' but remains a Eurosceptic

Zac Goldsmith, the new Tory candidate for London Mayor, has called himself a Eurosceptic in one of his first interviews since winning the nomination and not ruled out voting to leave the EU, reports Ben Riley-Smith.

Speaking to LBC radio, Mr Goldsmith said he would support David Cameron’s renegotiation “at the moment” but would see what was won before deciding how to vote in the referendum, due before the end of 2017.

The Tory MP added that he would not say it is “likely” that the Prime Minister will secure enough changes to convince him to vote to stay in.

The comments suggest Mr Goldsmith will not ditch his Eurosceptic views in the run up to the Mayoral vote next year and could be a thorn in the side of the Prime Minister, who is expected to back an In vote.

09:45

What will Zac Goldsmith's appointment mean for the expansion of Heathrow Airport?

Steven Swinford, our Deputy Political Editor, reports that Zac Goldsmith, like Boris Johnson, is passionately opposed to a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Just an hour before his announcement as the new Conservative candidate he was tweeting links to a protest rally. His position could put him into direct conflict with the government, which is expected to announce a decision on a third runway within the next month.

In June Mr Goldsmith said: “As countless hundreds of thousands of new residents are made aware of the threat they face, the campaign can only grow.

“We have won the arguments on pollution, congestion, cost and competition, but the bottom line is that, politically, Heathrow expansion is undeliverable.”

09:40

Boris Johnson praises his potential successor, describing him as a fearless fighter who is fizzing with ideas.

"I'm delighted for Zac - he's principled, hard-working, and dedicated, he's fizzing with ideas, and he's passionate about London and its people.

"In May next year this city needs its new mayor to be a fighter, someone who's not afraid to knock some plaster off the political ceiling in pursuit of the best possible deal for London.

"Zac Goldsmith is that fighter. He's fearless. He will make a brilliant mayor. have no doubt he's the best candidate we could possibly have to deliver the vital infrastructure improvements, new housing, jobs and growth London's rapidly growing population will need in the years ahead."

When Boris Johnson was selected, he received 15,661 votes.