Boris Johnson has been named Conservative candidate for next year's London mayoral contest.
Boris Johnson (R) with Conservative party leader David Cameron in London today. Image: Reuters.
The MP for Henley will take on mayor Ken Livingstone after being elected by Londoners in an open primary.
The Conservative Party announced Mr Johnson, the bookies' overwhelming favourite for the Tory nomination, won 15,661 votes.
Tory leader David Cameron said: "Boris will be an excellent candidate, and I know the party will unite behind him to remove Ken Livingstone from office. It's about time that all Londoners had the chance to vote for real change."
Mr Johnson thanked Londoners for the chance to stand against Mr Livingstone.
"As I visited all of London's 32 boroughs in the last few weeks, the message is loud and clear - King Newt's days are numbered," he said.
"The job of the mayor is simple - to get people to work on time, to ensure people feel safe on the streets, to help people find a place to call home, to celebrate our diversity and to champion our success."