FORMER Tory MP Rory Stewart has made a bizarre request online asking people to invite him into their houses for the night.
Running as an independent for the position of Mayor of London – a position previously held by Boris Johnson – Stewart came up with a strange campaign.
His #ComeKipWithMe project involves asking Londoners to invite him into their homes and let him stay the night. The idea is that he will get to see the city through the eyes of the people he's staying with.
READ MORE: Rory Stewart left the Conservatives following Brexit frustrations
Stewart tweeted: "Today I'm launching #ComeKipWithMe – asking Londoners to invite me into their homes and show me the city through their eyes. I want to know your concerns and your ideas. And I promise to bring a sleeping bag and a box of chocolates!"
Today I'm launching #ComeKipWithMe - asking Londoners to invite me into their homes and show me the city through their eyes. I want to know your concerns and your ideas. And I promise to bring a sleeping bag and a box of chocolates!
— Rory Stewart (@RoryStewartUK) February 11, 2020
Sign up: https://t.co/jtrLIw7i2G pic.twitter.com/TC7Vfg5tNk
In his attached video, he said: "Please have me to stay. It's a weird request but the way that mayors get to know their cities is by literally walking through every one of the 32 boroughs."
He promised to bring "a sleeping bag and a box of chocolates" to any home where he stayed the night.
While the campaign stunt has gained a lot of attention on social media, it has not been all positive.
Dawn Butler, MP for Brent Central, said: "I'm finding this a little bit patronising. You can't just dip your toe into London life. You have to live it! and care about it. This seems like some kind of university project/experiment."
And Patrick Henningsen, an Independent global affairs analyst, said: "Before you try to ingratiate yourself with the plebs, you should try sleeping rough for a week in London, that might give you a keener insight into how Tory policies are affecting the bottom compartment of Plato's ship."
Stewart announced his resignation last October after a decade in the party. In that time, he announced his intention to stand as an independent in the 2020 London mayoral election against Labour mayor Sadiq Khan and Conservative candidate Shaun Bailey.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel