An ex-public schoolboy YouTuber has announced he is running for Mayor just months after he printed his CV on top of a car to try to get a job at the BBC.
Max Fosh, 25, who boasts 375,000 subscribers on YouTube, has revealed he is running in the Mayor of London elections ‘just to get more votes than Laurence Fox’.
In a YouTube clip posted today, Mr Fosh held a bundle of documents and a cheque as he explained his name would be on the ballot alongside current mayor Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Mr Fox and 18 others.
In December, Mr Fosh parked outside the BBC building with his car emblazoned with his CV and a QR code linking to a video pitch.
After sharing the stunt on Twitter, many praised his ‘initiative’, but some users slammed the former Harrow student for the stunt for using his ‘privilege’ to try and get his dream job quickly.
Max Fosh (pictured), 25, who boasts 375,000 subscribers on YouTube, has revealed he is running in the Mayor of London elections ‘just to get more votes than Laurence Fox’
Mr Fosh divided opinion after grabbing attention of BBC bosses by printing his CV on top of his car, in a bid to get his dream job as a Radio One presenter
Elsewhere on Mr Fosh’s channel, he became the first YouTuber to buy a roundabout when he paid £500 for a patch of grass, known as a ‘verge for habitat’, opposite Changing Rooms star Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s Gloucestershire manor house.
In today’s video Mr Fosh said: ‘I would like to officially add my name to the ballot list for the next London Mayor just to get more votes than Lawrence Fox.
‘Who do you think would win? A political party with £5million of backing or one YouTubey boy with a few hundred thousand subscribers.’
Mr Fox, a 42-year-old actor who launched the Reclaim Party last year to fight the ‘culture wars’, last week vowed to ‘offer a voice to those being dominated into silence’ when he announced he was standing in the election.
In a YouTube clip posted today Mr Fosh explained his name would be on the ballot alongside current mayor Sadiq Khan, Shaun Bailey, Mr Fox and 18 others
On March 6, Laurence Fox (pictured) revealed he would stand against Sadiq Khan in the 2021 London mayoral elections, which will be held on May 6, and campaign to end lockdown for that same month
Announcing his own plan to stand in the May 6 election, Mr Fosh said: ‘London is my home. It’s a great city. It’s full of wonders. David Beckham’s right foot. David Beckham’s left foot for that matter.
‘But why? Why do I want to run for Mayor of London. Well, historically there’s always a posh bloke on the ballot so I thought I’d fulfil that quota.
‘But on this occasion I’m not alone. A chum who went to the same school as me, albeit not at the same time, Laurence Fox, is also running to be London Mayor as part of his new political party, the Reclaim Party.
‘He’s also got about £5million in backing. Both Laurence and I are as qualified as each other to be London Mayor. I think we both competed in the sixth form debating society.’
Mr Fox (right), 42, will stand against Sadiq Khan (left) in the 2021 London mayoral elections, which will be held on May 6, and campaign to end lockdown for that same month
People walk with banners during a demonstration in Oxford, England, to protest against coronavirus lockdown restrictions in December last year
Mr Fosh walked slowly towards the camera along the embankment in central London as he added: ‘But Laurence is running on a ticket that’s all about your freedom to speak. It’s a good policy. Speaking is important.
‘So I’m going to do a little bit of speaking now to say this. I would like to officially add my name to the ballot list for the next London Mayor just to get more votes than Laurence Fox.
‘Who do you think would win? A political party with £5million of backing or one YouTubey boy with a few hundred thousand subscribers. Well, I guess we’ll find out. See you on May 6 Lawrence.’
On March 6, Mr Fox revealed he would stand against Sadiq Khan in the 2021 London mayoral elections, which will be held on May 6, and campaign to end lockdown for that same month.
Mr Fox referred to the tearing down of statues as part of the Black Lives Matter movement and accused the London Mayor of attempting to ‘strip us our our history’ (pictured: the statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston falling into the water in Bristol)
Currently, the last remaining lockdown rules in England are set to be lifted by June 21 under Boris Johnson’s roadmap to the end of restrictions, but this is subject to change.
Mr Fox’s views on lifting lockdown come in stark contrast to that of Mr Khan, who previously urged the Prime Minister to ignore ‘shouting and hectoring’ from Conservative backbenchers and reject calls for a swift easing of national curbs.
Mr Fox told The Telegraph: ‘I am standing for London Mayor. With almost all older and vulnerable people having got their jab, I want the lockdown lifted straight away.’
He added that, despite the Government saying vaccines are working with hospitalisations and deaths falling, people are still being told they cannot get back to normal until mid-summer at the earliest.
His campaign will be completely funded by one donation from ex-political donor Jeremy Hosking, who ranked number 351 in the Sunday Times’ 2019 Rich List.
Writing for the paper, Mr Fox referred to the tearing down of statues as part of the Black Lives Matter movement and accused the London Mayor of attempting to ‘strip us of our history’, saying ‘this extreme political correctness must be resisted’.
The video Mr Fosh linked to via a QR code on his car saw him (pictured) and his actor flatmate Dan in a hired studio pitching a segment for the radio show called ‘task life’
The YouTuber parked outside the BBC building with his car emblazoned with both his CV, and a QR code linking to a video pitch
The actor then announced he was a candidate to be the next Mayor of the capital city, adding: ‘I look forward to speaking up for those who are being dominated into silence.’
It follows Mr Fox being dropped by his acting agent after he was embroiled in Twitter spats with a number of people who called him a ‘racist’ last October.
He accused Sainsbury’s of ‘promoting racial segregation and discrimination’ and promised to boycott the supermarket chain after it promoted Black History Month.
As he faced a backlash, he clapped back at people ‘falsely accusing him of racism’ by retaliating with unsubstantiated claims calling them ‘paedophiles’.
He later removed the post, writing at the time: ‘I have deleted the tweets posted yesterday, in response to being repeatedly, continuously and falsely smeared as a racist.’
Two people who Fox accused – deputy chair of LGBT charity Stonewall Simon Blake and Drag Race UK star Crystal – then announced they would sue him for defamation.
One month earlier, Fox launched The Reclaim Party – to fight for freedom of speech, ‘reclaim British values’ and challenge what he regards as a ‘culture war’ taking place in Britain.
The party commissioned a poll which found that half of Britons fear freedom of speech is ‘under threat’ in the UK.
Mr Fox previously told The Sunday Telegraph that the results of the survey – which saw Savanta ComRes interview 2,119 British adults between February 5 and 7 – were ‘alarming’.
He said ‘woke’ beliefs sought to ‘tear down our statues, rewrite our proud history [and] stand in opposition to the tolerant, fair and free society our ancestors gave their lives for’.
Meanwhile, Mr Fosh’s announcement comes three months after he printed his CV onto his car and parked it outside the BBC in London. Also on the car was a QR code linking to a video pitch.
After sharing the stunt on Twitter , many users praised his ‘initiative’ and creativity and asked the BBC to ‘give the lad a chance’
The video sees Mr Fosh and his actor flatmate Dan in a hired studio pitching a segment for the show called ‘Tasklife’, where Mr Fosh interviews people while completing mundane tasks such as counting change.
At the end, he says that he won’t be offended if the BBC doesn’t pick up the idea, but adds: ‘All I’m after Radio 1, is to present some of your online content. Send me to Big Weekend, send me to Glastonbury, send me out on the street, and I promise you some good content.’
After sharing the stunt on Twitter, many praised his ‘initiative’, but some users slammed the former Harrow student for the stunt for using his ‘privilege’ to try and get his dream job quickly.
However others weren’t as keen on the idea, with one calling the stunt a way of ‘excluding working class talent’
Sharing pictures of the car, he wrote: ‘Hi @BBCR1 , I’ve printed my CV onto my car and parked it outside the studio. There’s a QR code which I reckon you should watch. Ta x’
The CV on top of his car lists skills such as completing the Great North Run, climbing Kilimanjaro and some other presenting gigs.
One user wrote in reply to the Tweet: ‘C’mon @BBCR1 give the lad a chance. Loved this, he’s clearly using his initiative and being creative, two great qualities he has, as well as many others I’m sure. In a crowded market of job hunting this is genius. Good luck Max.’
‘Give it up for @max_fosh for his creativity and hustle. Hope you snag the job mate!’, said one.
However others weren’t as keen on the idea, with one calling the stunt a way of ‘excluding working class talent’ as it will become ‘the norm’ for company’s to expect CVs in the form of ‘extravagant gifts’.
Sharing pictures of the car, he wrote: ‘Hi @BBCR1 , I’ve printed my CV onto my car and parked it outside the studio’
But despite mixed reviews on the stunt, it seems to have worked with head of the station Aled Haydn Jones, 44, filming his own video to reply to Max
Sharing the tweet, one user wrote: ‘I see the rich kids are at it again.’
Another said: ‘This!!! I feel like it’s also quickly become the norm for company’s to expect CVs in the form of extravagant gifts to the point where they’ll openly admit dismissing your average document because it’s ‘boring’. Just another exclusion of working class talent.’
But despite mixed reviews on the stunt, it seems to have worked with head of the station Aled Haydn Jones, 44, filming his own video to reply to Max.
In the video posted to Twitter Aled tells Max to send him a private message to discuss their online content – but reminds him it would have been a good idea to follow Radio1 on social media before applying for a job there.
‘Hi Max Fosh, i’m Aled Haydn Jone, head of Radio One’, says Aled, ‘You see I got your QR code and video, thank you for your offer it was great to see what you can do and meet your out of work actor flatmate.
‘On the radio front, I’m afraid i’ve only just offered 46 new presenters a slot on Radio One between Christmas and January, but I find your suggestion of presenting our online content interesting so DM me, and let’s chat.
‘P.S you really should follow the socials of the station you want to work for.’