Sebastian Coe is being urged to run for London mayor after polling suggested he could lead a Tory revival in the capital.
Private polling conducted for Tory backers found that the former Olympic champion is more popular in the capital than any current political party leader – and would beat Sadiq Khan.
He would also beat former Tory home secretary Sir James Cleverly, who is eyeing up a possible run in 2028.
The Conservatives are anxious to reverse a dismal decade of results in the capital since Boris Johnson stepped down as mayor in 2016.
Sir Sadiq has won three consecutive terms in office despite growing criticism of his record on crime, housing and tax. He is yet to say whether he will seek a fourth term in 2028.
A poll of 2,000 Londoners found that Lord Coe had a favourability rating 19 points higher than the current London mayor.
One Tory insider said: ‘Londoners know Seb Coe as the gold medalist who helped bring the best Olympics of a generation to the city. He is a proven winner who has already delivered for the capital – putting him way ahead of the field.’
Lord Coe is a former Tory MP and has been touted as a potential mayoral candidate for years. The four-time Olympic medal winner played a pivotal role in bringing the Games to London in 2012.
Sebastian Coe at last week’s World Indoor Athletics Championships, in Poland. Senior Tories are urging him to switch back to politics for a new race against Sadiq Khan
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In 2015, he resisted pressure to stand – including from Boris Johnson, saying he wanted to focus on a career in sports administration.
At the time he said his political career was ‘over’, adding: ‘My sport is calling me. My passion is my sport.’
But his term as president of World Athletics is due to finish next year, and some senior Conservatives believe he could be persuaded to think again.
One ally of Lord Coe said he was still considering his position.
Tory strategists are determined to improve on their recent performance in London, which has seen Zac Goldsmith, Shaun Bailey and Susan Hall all suffer heavy defeats to Sir Sadiq.
Insiders believe that, with the Green Party eating into the Labour vote and Reform struggling to maintain their national level of support in the capital, the 2028 contest could provide a unique opportunity for a Tory fightback.
The new polling suggests that Lord Coe has a net favourability rating of plus 13, with support extending beyond Conservative voters to both Labour and Reform and covering all age groups.
By contrast, Sir Sadiq’s overall rating is minus six, with only Labour voters having a positive view of him.
Sir James Cleverly had a net rating of plus three, putting him just behind Green leader Zack Polanski and Lib Dem Sir Ed Davey on plus six.
Reform UK’s London candidate Laila Cunningham was rated as plus one.
Sir James Cleverly, who served on the London Assembly for years, has already hinted he is interested in running for the mayoralty next time around.
Last October, he described the role as an ‘incredibly important job’, saying: ‘I’d be stupid not to think about it.’
He added: ‘My heart is in Essex, but… watching London go wrong angers me enormously.’
However, Sir James is also thought to still covet the Tory leadership which he missed out on after the last election.
