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'{{short description|British politician|bot=PearBOT 5}} {{Use British English|date=January 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific-prefix = | name = Andrew Boff | honorific-suffix = [[London Assembly|AM]] | image = Andrew Boff 2018.jpg | caption = Boff in 2018 | office = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Leader of the Conservative Party]]<br />in the [[London Assembly]] | term_start = June 2012 | term_end = October 2015 | predecessor = [[James Cleverly]] | successor = [[Gareth Bacon]] | office1 = [[London Assembly|Member of the London Assembly]] | assembly1 = London | term_start1 = 1 May 2008 | term_end1 = | majority1 = | predecessor1 = | successor1 = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1958|04|14|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Uxbridge]], [[Middlesex]], England, UK | nationality = British | party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] | residence = [[Barking Riverside]] | alma_mater = | partner = Gareth Carey | occupation = Politician | profession = IT consultant | website = {{URL|https://www.andrewboff.com/|Andrew Boff official website}} | footnotes = }} '''Andrew Boff''' (born 14 April 1958) is a British politician who has been Chair of the [[London Assembly]] since 2023, and previously from 2021 to 2022. A member of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], he has served a London-wide Assembly Member (AM) since the [[2008 London Assembly election|2008 election]]. Boff served as Leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly from June 2012 to October 2015. Andrew Boff was a supporter of the [[YES! To Fairer Votes|"Yes! To fairer votes"]] campaign in the [[2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum|2011 UK Alternative Vote referendum]]. He was the Conservative representative at a "Yes!" event in London on 3 May 2011. Boff has unsuccessfully sought to become the Conservative candidate for [[Mayor of London]] on six occasions, most recently failing to gain the nomination for the 2024 election. == Political career == === Early career === Born in [[Uxbridge]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Quinn |first=Ben |date=12 July 2023 |title=‘Going to be close’: nerves fray before byelection in Boris Johnson’s old seat |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/12/going-to-be-close-byelection-boris-johnson-uxbridge-and-south-ruislip-labour-conservatives |access-date=14 July 2023}}</ref> in 1958 and active in politics since the 1970s, Boff was a Young Conservative branch founder whilst still at school; in 1976 he proposed the legalisation of cannabis at a Young Conservative national conference. His mother Elsie was already a [[councillor]] when he was elected a councillor in [[London Borough of Hillingdon|Hillingdon]] in 1982. He later served as Leader of the Council between 1990 and 1992.<ref name="Making an Impression">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/566999.stm |title=Andrew Boff: Making an Impression |accessdate=12 April 2008 |date=16 December 1999 |publisher=BBC News }}</ref> In 1992, he stepped down to stand for Parliament, [[1992 United Kingdom general election|defending]] the marginal [[Hornsey and Wood Green (UK Parliament constituency)|Hornsey and Wood Green]] constituency. He lost the seat to [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]'s [[Barbara Roche]] with 39.2% of the vote. Boff stood in the safe Labour seat of [[London South Inner (European Parliament constituency)|London South Inner]] in the [[1994 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|1994 election]] to the [[European Parliament]]. He was placed seventh on the Conservative list in [[London (European Parliament constituency)|London]] in the [[1999 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom|1999 European Parliament election]]. He failed to be elected both times.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.europarl.org.uk/guide/candidates99/london.html |title=London |accessdate=12 April 2008 |publisher=[[European Parliament]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080331192453/http://www.europarl.org.uk/guide/candidates99/london.html |archive-date=31 March 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> === London Assembly === Boff became known in London politics after he contested the Conservative nomination for the London mayoral elections in [[2000 London mayoral election|2000]], [[2004 London mayoral election|2004]] and [[2008 London mayoral election|2008]]. He came second in 2000 behind [[Steven Norris]].<ref name="Making an Impression" /> He came second again in 2008. In summer 2018, Boff launched another campaign to be the Conservative candidate for [[Mayor of London]] in [[2021 London mayoral election|2021]]. He was shortlisted along with [[Joy Morrissey]] and fellow London Assembly Member [[Shaun Bailey (London politician)|Shaun Bailey]]. Boff finished once again in second place with 35% of first round votes, an increase of 31 percentage points on his run for the nomination in 2015 for the [[2016 London mayoral election|2016 election]]. Boff was placed first on the Conservative top-up list for the [[London Assembly]] in [[2008 London Assembly election|2008]], comfortably winning a seat. He was re-elected in [[2012 London Assembly election|2012]], [[2016 London Assembly election|2016]] and [[2021 London Assembly election|2021]]. He ran for the chairmanship of the assembly in 2010, with the backing of the eleven Conservative members, but lost to [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] [[Dee Doocey]], who received the backing of the fourteen other members, including [[Richard Barnbrook]].<ref>{{cite news |title=London Assembly: committees and chairs |first=Dave |last=Hill |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date= 13 May 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/davehillblog/2010/may/13/london-assembly-elects-dee-doocey-chair-2010 }}</ref> After his first re-election to the London Assembly, Boff was elected as the GLA Conservative Group Leader. He was succeeded by [[Gareth Bacon]] in October 2015. In September 2015, Boff called for a managed street prostitution zone to be set up in East London in order to protect sex workers from harm.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uknews/davehillblog/2015/sep/10/tory-mayoral-hopeful-wants-managed-street-prostitution-area-in-london]{{dead link|date=November 2020}}</ref> In 2019, Boff became Chairman of the Confirmation Hearings Committee and the Planning Committee.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.london.gov.uk//people/assembly/andrew-boff/more-about|title=Andrew Boff|date=7 May 2015|website=London City Hall}}</ref> In May 2021, he was elected Chairman of the London Assembly. In May 2022, he became Deputy Chairman of the London Assembly. === Hackney politics === He has stood for office numerous times in [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], where he lived. He received the Conservative nomination for the elections in 2002 and [[2006 Hackney Council election|2006]] to elect the [[Mayor of Hackney]], but came second both times. He was the Conservatives' London Assembly candidate for the [[North East (London Assembly constituency)|North East]] constituency in 2004, but came third, behind the candidates from both Labour and the Liberal Democrats.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://politics.guardian.co.uk/elections2004/tables/0,14549,1235954,00.html |title=London Assembly results |accessdate=12 April 2008 |date=13 May 2010 |publisher=[[Guardian Unlimited]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408080235/http://politics.guardian.co.uk/elections2004/tables/0%2C14549%2C1235954%2C00.html |archive-date=8 April 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> He achieved success in Hackney in 2005, when he won the supposedly [[Safe seat|safe]] Labour seat of [[Queensbridge (ward)|Queensbridge]] in a council [[by-election]], before losing it at the 2006 Hackney Council election, albeit with a vote tripled from the previous borough election. Boff stood for Mayor of Hackney for a third time in [[2010 Hackney Council election|2010]]. A booklet containing election statements from every candidate except him was distributed to every voter in the borough. It excluded Boff owing to the council's confusion over whether the statements he made about the cost of the mayoralty were legally admissible.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tory falls foul of mayoral bid rules |first=Ross |last=Lydall |newspaper=[[Evening Standard]] |date=4 May 2010 |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23830340-tory-falls-foul-of-mayoral-bid-rules.do }}</ref> By the time they decided that they were, it was too late to print, and the council compounded the problem by telling voters who enquired that Boff was not running.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bish Bash Boff in Hackney |newspaper=[[Private Eye]] |url=http://www.private-eye.co.uk/sections.php?section_link=rotten_boroughs&issue=1262 }}</ref> In the contest, Boff fell to third place, behind the Labour incumbent and the Liberal Democrats. At the 2023 Conservative Party Conference, Boff was removed from conference by party officials and a Metropolitan police officer after questioning a portion of the speech being made by Home Secretary [[Suella Braverman]] which was aimed at gender ideology. == Personal life == He is an information technology consultant.<ref name="Making an Impression" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/opinion/2005-5043.html |title=Interview: However he voted against the scrapping of the anti gay clause 28 when a Conservative Councillor in Hillingdon. The Tory who wants to boff Boris |accessdate=12 April 2008 |last=Grew |first=Tony |date=29 July 2007 |publisher=[[Pink News]] |archive-date=12 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012070925/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/opinion/2005-5043.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Boff is openly gay. He claimed in 2018 that his 2005 civil partnership was number 000001 [[Civil Partnership Act 2004|same-sex civil partnership]].<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1043562956410245120|user=LGBTCons|title=We asked each of the three @conservatives candidates for #LondonMayor why our members &amp; #LGBT+ people should suppor…<!-- full text of tweet that Twitter returned to the bot (excluding links) added by TweetCiteBot. This may be better truncated or may need expanding (TW limits responses to 140 characters) or case changes. --> |date=22 September 2018}}</ref> but his civil partnership was not the first in England and Wales due a waiver of the 15 day waiting period for a termantly ill man in Wothing. <ref>{{Cite news |date=2005-12-06 |title='Gay wedding' man dies of cancer |language=en-GB |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/southern_counties/4505270.stm |access-date=2023-09-05}}</ref> Boff is a [[libertarianism|libertarian]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007/09/tory_mayoral_hust.html |title=Tory mayoral hustings – live |accessdate=12 April 2008 |last=White |first=Michael |author-link=Michael White (journalist) |date=10 September 2007 |publisher=[[Guardian Unlimited]] | location=London}}</ref> and an outspoken proponent of [[direct democracy]], having prominently publicised the issue at London mayoral hustings and on [[ConservativeHome]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://conservativehome.blogs.com/100policies/2006/08/to_give_londons.html |title=Andrew Boff: 'To give London's voters the power to propose binding propositions on the executive or to recall the Mayor.' |accessdate=12 April 2008 |last=Boff |first=Andrew |date=14 August 2006 |publisher=[[ConservativeHome]]}}</ref> An [[atheism|atheist]] and a [[humanism|humanist]], Boff is a member of [[Humanists UK]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://humanism.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/AGM2012Minutes.pdf|title=Minutes of the Annual General Meeting|date=14 July 2012|accessdate=1 April 2019|publisher=[[Humanists UK]]}}</ref> He helped to launch the Conservative Humanist Association, a Conservative Party [[ginger group]], at an event in London in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/08/weekend-guest-blog-god-tories.html|last=Boyce|first=Laurence|work=[[Iain Dale]]'s diary|title=God & the Tories|accessdate=1 April 2019|date=16 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Marre|first=Oliver|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2008/aug/03/4|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=Pendennis|date=2 August 2008}}</ref> He was involved with the successful reinvigoration of Hackney's Broadway Market in the early 2000s. He also produced a free monthly local magazine for the E8 postcode area. On 10 June 2019, Boff says he ran into a burning tower block in [[Barking Riverside]] to help people escape a fire that had broken out.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/barking-fire-tory-politician-andrew-boff-tells-how-he-rushed-to-help-and-there-was-no-fire-alarm-a4163361.html|title='No fire alarms' sounded in Barking flats blaze|date=10 June 2019|website=Evening Standard}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [https://www.london.gov.uk/people/assembly/andrew-boff Andrew Boff] at the London Assembly {{Conservative Party London mayoral selection, 2015}} {{Current London Assembly members}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Boff, Andrew}} [[Category:1958 births]] [[Category:21st-century English politicians]] [[Category:Conservative Members of the London Assembly]] [[Category:Conservative Party (UK) parliamentary candidates]] [[Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Hackney]] [[Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Hillingdon]] [[Category:English atheists]] [[Category:English humanists]] [[Category:English libertarians]] [[Category:Gay politicians]] [[Category:English LGBT politicians]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from the London Borough of Hillingdon]] [[Category:21st-century English LGBT people]]'