has announced is bidding to become the Mayor of London hours after he announced he resigned from the Tory party .
The leadership flop took to Twitter to reveal he will not stand in the next general election having served as the MP for Penrith and The Border since 2010.
But in a dramatic twist just under two hours after posted about his "sadness" over the move, the 46-year-old announced he is running for the post as an Independent candidate at the mayoral election in May next year.
In a video taken on the city's Millennium Bridge, he said: "I'm standing in the middle of the greatest city on earth. I’ve got the wondrous St Paul’s Cathedral behind me in this slightly dodgy selfie.
"I'm leaving that Gothic shouting chamber of Westminster, I'm getting away from politics which makes me sometimes feel as though Trump has never left London.
"I want to walk through every borough of this great city to get back to us on the ground, making change local and showing that the way we do it is not through division but through love."
We previously revealed how Stewart had been lined up to replace Ruth Davidson at Holyrood.
He had been encouraged to stand for the Scottish Parliament by several MSPs after being one of 21 Tory MPs to have the Conservative whip removed for voting against a no-deal Brexit.
The former Scottish Tory leader said: "Very sorry to see. Our party should have room for talented, experienced and committed people from across the Conservative spectrum."
Also reacting to the news, former Home Secretary Amber Rudd - who also resigned from the party - tweeted: "What a loss to politics. An outstanding MP & Minister.
"One of the strongest speakers in Parliament. Principled, patient, thoughtful. I feel certain he’ll be back."
The current Mayor of London is Sadiq Khan with Prime Minister Boris Johnson having previously held the role.
