At one time Rory Stewart wanted to be our next Mayor of London – but do adventurers make good leaders?
“His (Ken Livingstone’s) years as an MP were spent in the wilderness.” So claims an article in The Guardian from 2008 shortly following Livingston’s ousting as London’s first Mayor of London. Further research suggests this was a political metaphor and he may never have even stepped on grass.
The position of Mayor of London is not to be confused with Lord Mayor of London of course, which got off to a much wilder start when Richard (Dick) Whittington landed the job in 1397 despite a long and trying journey down from Lancashire with a cat and many a cold night sleeping rough. This is not a true story of course but never let that get in the way of an inspiring tale.
A little bit of research doesn’t reveal much about our recent Mayors, Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan. Although Johnson likes an adventure they don’t seem to be the kind we were hoping for. And Khan once got into a tangle with an insurer who was threatening to withdraw cover from some of our more dangerous adventure playgrounds. Dangerous it was claimed not because of the addition of thrilling and stretching installations for our youth, but because of funding cuts.
Britain's Most Adventurous Politicians
1. Lord Curzon (George Nathaniel Curzon)
As Viceroy of India in the early 20th century, Curzon was an adventurous statesman who travelled extensively through Persia, Russia, and Central Asia, bringing his knowledge of these regions into his political career.
2. Winston Churchill
Best known as Prime Minister during World War II, Churchill’s adventurous side was shaped by his early military exploits in Cuba, India, and South Africa, where his escape from a Boer POW camp helped launch his political career.
3. John Buchan
A politician in the 1930s, Buchan served as Governor General of Canada and was inspired by his explorations in South Africa and Canada, which influenced his famous adventure novel The Thirty-Nine Steps.
4. Edward Heath
Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974, Heath was not only a political leader but also an accomplished sailor, winning the 1969 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race aboard his yacht Morning Cloud, highlighting his adventurous spirit.
Known for his extreme polar expeditions in the 1980s and 1990s, Fiennes ran for parliament in 1992. Although unsuccessful, his global reputation as one of the greatest living explorers showcases his bold, adventurous nature.
6. David Hempleman-Adams
Awarded a CBE for his contributions to exploration, Hempleman-Adams, though not a traditional politician, has been involved in civic leadership roles, using his fame as an adventurer to influence public and charitable causes.
7. Rory Stewart
As an MP and diplomat in the 2010s, Stewart’s adventurous spirit was best illustrated by his daring solo walk across Afghanistan, detailed in his book The Places in Between, which cemented his reputation as a politician with a deep understanding of conflict zones.
8. Boris Johnson
Mayor of London and later Prime Minister in the 2010s and 2020s, Johnson’s political career has often reflected his adventurous, risk-taking approach to leadership, famously cycling to work and taking part in high-profile stunts like zip-lining during the 2012 Olympics.
Another one-time hopeful, Tory candidate Shaun Bailey, may have lost a few supporters amongst London’s cycling community by suggesting the Embankment Cycle Superhighway should be re-routed to avoid the sense of being ‘pinned against the river’. The river in question is the good old Thames, perhaps the capital’s most striking natural feature.
So when Rory Stewart threw his hat in the ring for the adventurous Mayor job, we wondered what it could mean for London if we found ourselves with a Mayor who knew how to lace up a pair of boots?
The Places In Between by Rory Stewart is an account of his walk across Afghanistan in January 2002. The Amazon blurb for the book says:
Caught between hostile nations, warring factions and competing ideologies, at the time Afghanistan was in turmoil following the US invasion. Travelling entirely on foot and following the inaccessible mountainous route once taken by the Mogul Emperor, Babur the Great, Stewart was nearly defeated by the extreme, hostile conditions. Only with the help of an unexpected companion and the generosity of the people he met on the way did he survive to report back with unique insight on a region closed to the world by twenty-four years of war.
A New York Times review from 2006 includes this quoted advice for Stewart from a member of Afghanistan’s Security Service: “You are the first tourist in Afghanistan. It is mid-winter. There are three meters of snow on the high passes, there are wolves, and this is a war. You will die, I can guarantee.”
Adventure and Politics Have Risk in Common
So Rory was a risk-taker in the mountains and it could be argued continued to be so in politics – gambling his job against a promise to reform the UK’s worst prisons and later running as an outsider for Conservative leader being among his punts. Running for Mayor was another massive and high profile roll of the dice.
Is a risk-taker what our city needs? Does it make sense for a world city like London to be led by a Mayor with a taste for adventure and wilderness?
It would be great to think that we had a Mayor of London with one eye on the benefits that far-flung adventures, life-affirming activities and beautiful landscapes could provide to our youth. How that vision can be brought to the city as a positive force for empowerment and change, and whether there is a candidate out there willing to give it a go, remains to be seen.
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