Sol Campbell could be the next MP for Kensington as ex-Arsenal and Tottenham defender discusses Tory candidacy
Sol Campbell, the ex-England footballer, could be the next MP for Kensington succeeding Sir Malcolm Rifkind who resigned after the cash for access scandal.
Campbell, a former Arsenal and Spurs defender, has indicated he is potentially being lined up to take the Conservative safe seat of Kensington, speaking to Sky News.
The retired footballer replied “step by step” when asked if he was going to go for Rifkind’s former seat by presenter Dermot Murnaghan.
A surprised Diane Abbott, a fellow guest on the show, asked “are you thinking about it?”, to which Campbell said “I think about a lot of things.”
A move into politics has been widely mooted, with Campbell also being linked to the mayor of London candidacy when Boris Johnson leaves City Hall in 2016.
After meeting with the Conservative chairman Grant Shapps, the 40-year-old said no decision had been made on the run for mayor, indicating the party will be tapping Campbell’s political ambitions in some way.
Campbell was more sure of a run for mayor than the Kensington safe seat, telling The Spectator yesterday: “I saw there are good odds on me for the Kensington seat but the thing is a lot of people are after it and as it’s a safe seat they need to pick the right person,’ he says. ‘With London mayor, all I can say is watch this space.”
Campbell’s odds for stepping into Rifkind’s shoes were 33/1 at the beginning of the week following his resignation, but had become the bookies favourite for the seat by the end of the week.