Yes, Russell Brand has said he intends to stand for Mayor of London in 2028. He announced it on Tucker Carlson’s YouTube show in April 2026 and said he was campaigning as of “now”. He is not a formal candidate yet, and he admits he may be in prison on polling day.
So the real question is not whether he said it. The question is whether it can happen. Is Russell Brand running for Mayor of London in 2028? The facts checked below show a stated ambition, not a working campaign. There is no manifesto, no declared team and no agent’s office. Nominations for the 4 May 2028 contest will not open for well over a year. And a criminal trial now sits between Brand and City Hall.
- Brand announced his bid on The Tucker Carlson Show on 20–21 April 2026, during a 108-minute interview.
- His exact words: “I’m going to run for mayor of London in 2028.”
- He is on trial at Southwark Crown Court on seven charges and denies every one.
- He has said he could be serving a prison sentence at the time of the election.
- He has published no policies beyond a few broad ideas about public voting.
- Labour leads London polling by 14–15 points. Brand is not included in any poll.
- The election is on 4 May 2028, the same day as the London Assembly vote.
What Brand Said About Running
The bid was revealed alongside the launch of his book. Brand told Carlson that “amidst all this madness, with a forthcoming trial and a book out that I’m very pleased with, I’m going to run for mayor of London in 2028”.
He also framed it as handing power away rather than taking it: “I would like to run for Mayor of London in 2028 so that the people of London would run it, so that politicians are not involved in politics. So we have true, open-source, transparent democracy.”
Comedy site Chortle, which covered the interview in full, noted that he said he was campaigning as of “now”. He also floated using prediction-market technology, naming Polymarket, to let residents vote on local budgets and services.
An email update to his followers, covered by Premier Christian News, put it differently again. There, Brand said he wanted to “create a counsel to advise voters and then hand Londoners back their city”.
The same update announced How to Become a Christian in Seven Days, the first title from Tucker Carlson Books, an imprint of Skyhorse. In 2024, Brand was baptised in the River Thames by Bear Grylls.
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Is Russell Brand Running for Mayor of London in 2028?
Here is the status, plainly. Brand has declared an intention. He has not been nominated, because nominations do not exist yet. To get on the ballot in 2028, he will need to pay a £10,000 deposit and collect supporting signatures from electors across every London local authority area. He would stand as an independent, as no party has adopted him.
He also has no record of following through. In 2014 he was tipped to stand against Boris Johnson. He ruled it out flatly in an Xfm interview reported by The Guardian, saying, “Absolutely not. We’ve already got a comic in the job. If you want a daft comedian running London, just leave things as they are. What I’m interested in is real change.”
Johnson’s reply was that Brand was “about as convincing as a political theorist as a toaster made by Russell Hobbs”.
Brand now explains that U-turn differently. He says he was a “fool” for believing, “I should be powerful.” I made it about myself.” He also claims the episode put him “on the radar of certain forces that probably monitor online threats and vocal critics of establishment power”.
The Trial Hanging Over the Bid
Brand, 51, is standing trial at Southwark Crown Court on three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault. The charges involve six women and relate to alleged incidents between 1999 and 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to all seven.
The trial opened on 12 October 2026 before Mr Justice Bennathan, with a jury of eight men and four women. Riel Karmy-Jones KC is leading for the prosecution; Ian Winter KC is defending. Reporting from ABC News confirms the hearing is expected to run for at least six weeks, with all six complainants now having given evidence anonymously.
No verdict has been reached. Brand continues to dispute every allegation. He is also a defendant in a civil sexual assault claim in New York relating to the 2010 filming of Arthur, which names Warner Bros. Discovery among the co-defendants. He denies that too.
Separately, in an interview with Megyn Kelly reported by The Standard, Brand said, “I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30, but when I was 30, I was a very different person.” He noted the UK age of consent is 16, called the relationship exploitative and described himself as “an exploiter of women” and “selfish”.
Could He Stand From a Prison Cell?
Brand has accepted he might be “possibly to serve a jail sentence” by the time Londoners vote. UK election law makes that a hard barrier, not a quirky one. Anyone convicted and sentenced to three months or more in prison within the five years before an election day is disqualified from being elected Mayor of London.
A suspended sentence counts. So an acquittal keeps the door open; a significant custodial sentence closes it.
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His Policy Ideas Have Already Hit a Wall
Brand’s clearest stated policy is a binding local referendum on asylum accommodation. “If the people of Epping don’t want to have migrants in their community, then let them vote on it,” he said. Epping is in Essex, not London, and the Mayor has no authority there — a point The New World flagged in its coverage of his finances.
His other pitch is a set of public votes on existing schemes. He has asked, “Do you want ULEZ cameras? Do you want congestion charges? Do you want this type of policing where people are arrested for Facebook posts? Do you want us to focus on contemporary rape gangs?”
Even a willing mayor has limits. As Londonist has explained, the role’s real power sits in transport, policing and housing, and is scrutinised by the 25-member London Assembly inside the Greater London Authority. Planning strategy still needs council approval, and councils answer to central government on funding.
The Money Question
In the same month as his announcement, filings at Companies House showed Brand was winding down his UK company, Pablo Diablo’s Legitimate Business Firm Limited, of which he is sole director.
Assets fell to £3.3 million at the end of last year from £12.7 million a year earlier, largely because £7.4 million he owed the company in 2024 was wiped. The firm also carries £500,000 in loans owed to his US company, New Colour Productions Inc. Brand earned £4 million in 2024, and his YouTube channel has more than 6.7 million subscribers.
Who He Would Actually Be Up Against
The field is already busier than his own. James Cleverly quit the Conservative front bench on 29 August 2026 to run, with Westminster councillor Festus Akinbusoye also seeking the nomination. Reform UK selected councillor Laila Cunningham in January 2026. Sarah Olney MP is bidding for the Liberal Democrats.
Sadiq Khan has not confirmed a fourth run, though he said in September 2025 it was his “intention” and said in February 2026 he had “already worked out” his campaign. Dawn Butler will stand if he steps aside. Wikipedia’s running candidate list also logs architect Peter Murray and Ant Middleton as independents.
Polling tells its story. Opinium’s July 2026 survey put Labour at 32% of first preferences, with the Greens at 18% and Reform and the Conservatives at 17%. Savanta’s QMUL poll put Labour at 33%. The 2028 vote is expected to use the supplementary vote system, letting Londoners pick a first and second choice.
Writing in The Spectator, one commentator argued his main effect might be to split the protest vote and help the incumbent win again. That is opinion, not data. But it is the likeliest shape of a Brand campaign that ever reaches the ballot.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Russell Brand officially running for Mayor of London in 2028?
Ans: He has publicly declared his intention, but he is not an official candidate. Nominations for the 4 May 2028 election have not opened, and he has not been formally nominated.
When did Russell Brand announce his London mayoral bid?
Ans: He announced it on Tucker Carlson’s YouTube show on 20–21 April 2026, the day after his book was released. He said he was campaigning as of “now”.
Can Russell Brand run for mayor if he is in prison?
Ans: No. Anyone sentenced to three months or more in prison within five years of election day is disqualified. Brand himself has said jail could stop his bid.
What is Russell Brand on trial for?
Ans: He faces three counts of rape, three of sexual assault and one of indecent assault, involving six women between 1999 and 2009. He denies all seven charges.
What are Russell Brand’s policies for London?
Ans: He has offered few specifics. He wants residents to vote directly on local issues, questions ULEZ and congestion charges, and has backed a referendum on asylum accommodation.
Who is the favourite to win the 2028 London mayoral election?
Ans: Labour leads London polling by 14 to 15 points. James Cleverly, Laila Cunningham and Sarah Olney are declared contenders, and Sadiq Khan may still run.
Sources & References
- Premier Christian News – Brand said he wanted to “create a counsel to advise voters and then hand Londoners back their city”.
- The Spectator – One commentator argued his main effect might be to split the protest vote and help the incumbent win again.
- The Standard – I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30, but when I was 30, I was a very different person.
