Barking-based London Assembly member Andrew Boff has lost the race to be the Conservative Party’s next mayoral candidate.

Mr Boff, who stood as Tory candidate in Longbridge ward at the local election in May, said: “There’s no point in having a personal feeling about it. What we’ve got to do is make sure Londoners realise that another term with Sadiq Khan in office will be a disaster for London.

“There’s no time for feeling disappointed.”

In a dig at Sadiq Khan he added that Londoners deserved a mayor who would stick to their election and post-election promises.

The 60-year-old politician, who lives in Barking Riverside, came second out of the three candidates, in front of Ealing councillor Joy Morrissey but behind victor Shaun Bailey.

Mr Bailey won with 3,904 votes to Mr Boff’s 3,186 on a total turnout of 47.8pc.

This marks Mr Boff’s fourth defeat after having entered the mayoral nomination race as Tory candidate in 2000, 2004 and 2008.

On his immediate political future, he said: “I’ll be supporting Shaun and making sure that we continue to hold the mayor to account. That’s my day job.

“My evening job is holding Barking and Dagenham Council to account. As Conservatives in Barking we will form an opposition against a Labour dominated council and make sure residents realise that they can get better.”

Mr Bailey, a London Assembly member, said: “It is a great honour to be selected as the Conservative Party’s candidate for the 2020 mayoral election.

“For someone who grew up in a council house in one of the poorest parts of London, securing the nomination is proof that our city truly is the place where anything is possible.”

He added that the capital faced “real challenges” including increases in violent and gang crime as well as a £1billion hole in the city’s transport budget.

The voting went to a second round after the trio failed to secure at least 50 per cent of votes with the second choices of Cllr Morrissey’s voters being redistributed between the remaining two candidates.

Brandon Lewis, Conservative Party chairman, said: “I’m delighted Shaun Bailey has been elected as our candidate. He is passionate about London and has the ideas London needs to continue to be the best capital city in the world.”