London mayor candidate Rory Stewart on Wednesday quit the race to run the British capital, saying the coronavirus outbreak had made campaigning for the position “impossible”.
The election has been postponed by a year due to the crisis, and the former diplomat and international development minister said he could not ask the army of unpaid volunteers behind his campaign to continue.
Quitting was an “agonising decision,” he said, admitting he had given up hope of securing what he said was his “dream job”.
Mr Stewart, who served as Deputy Governor of the Coalition Provisional Authority after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, was running as an independent candidate against Labour’s Sadiq Khan and the Conservative party’s Shaun Bailey.
A recent poll, from Queen Mary University of London last month, had Mr Stewart in third place behind Mr Khan and Mr Bailey, on 13 per cent.
The election is due to take place in May next year after being postponed as Britain went into lockdown in March.
Explaining his decision to pull out of the race to London's Evening Standard newspaper, Mr Stewart said: "I have taken a few weeks to get my head straight. Yes, I could have left things open and I could have teased people a bit, but I think it (continuing to campaign) would have been unfair to myself or my supporters."
The former cabinet minister also described the impact of the outbreak on the campaign: “Perhaps because I had dealt as a Secretary of State with Ebola, I was quicker than some to see the problem of coronavirus.
“But sadly, this spelled the end of our dreams for London,” he added.
“I could not put our volunteers through another 12 months of campaigning in an environment completely changed by coronavirus and with the odds now so steeply against us.”
Mr Stewart’s entry into the mayoral contest came off the back of his better-than-expected performance in the 2019 Conservative party leadership contest, eventually won by current UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
On the menu
First course
▶ Emirati sea bass tartare Yuzu and labneh mayo, avocado, green herbs, fermented tomato water
▶ The Tale of the Oyster Oyster tartare, Bahraini gum berry pickle
Second course
▶ Local mackerel Sourdough crouton, baharat oil, red radish, zaatar mayo
▶ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Quail, smoked freekeh, cinnamon cocoa
Third course
▶ Bahraini bouillabaisse Venus clams, local prawns, fishfarm seabream, farro
▶ Lamb 2 ways Braised lamb, crispy lamb chop, bulgur, physalis
Dessert
▶ Lumi Black lemon ice cream, pistachio, pomegranate
▶ Black chocolate bar Dark chocolate, dates, caramel, camel milk ice cream
Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
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