Boris is latest Tory name in frame for London mayor
Thursday, 5 July 2007
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Boris Johnson emerged as a possible Tory candidate for Mayor of London after the party's fraught search for a challenger to take on Ken Livingstone came close to farce.
The quest for Conservative mayoral contender faced a series of chaotic twists after rumours swept Westminster that the gaffe-prone Daily Telegraph columnist and shadow Higher Education minister was considering throwing his hat in the ring.
Aides to David Cameron confirmed yesterday that Mr Johnson was "contemplating" putting his name forward for Mr Cameron's London-wide primary to choose the party's candidate for mayor.
One said: "This has come from Boris. He is thinking about it and giving it some consideration but he has not reached a view."
Within minutes, Mr Johnson appeared to scotch any idea of him joining the race, saying that "I'm definitely not a candidate". Then he said he was "honoured to be thought of in this context".
He added: "I'm definitely not a candidate. It would be a fantastic job but I'm greatly enjoying what I'm doing."
But just after 5pm, Mr Johnson issued a statement "Being Mayor of London would be a fantastic job and anyone who loves London would want to consider the possibility very carefully.
"I want to stress that this idea did not come from David Cameron or from anyone in his office but I have, of course, been very struck by the number of people who have been urging me to run.
"In my case, there are huge obstacles - above all my commitment and responsibility to my constituency. It is hard to see how those difficulties could be overcome - but I am ruling nothing out."
He was immediately installed as the bookies' second favourite to emerge as the Tory candidate.
Nominations for the Conservative candidacy close a week on Monday, with the final candidate announced at the party conference in September after a US-style primary across London.
The Conservatives have run into a string of difficulties in their search for a high-profile candidate to challenge Ken Livingstone for the post.
An attempt to persuade former BBC director-general Greg Dyke to stand as a joint Conservative-Liberal Democrat candidate collapsed within hours. The party has also failed to tempt possible candidates such as Lord Coe, who ran London's successful Olympic bid, former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens and radio DJ Nick Ferrari.
Nick Boles, former head of the Policy Exchange think-tank, also pulled out of the race after being diagnosed with cancer.
Mr Johnson, who is one of the best-known Conservative MPs because of his newspaper column and frequent television appearances, is also one of the most gaffe-prone.
He famously had to apologise to the people of Liverpool after accusing them of "wallowing in victimhood" over the murder of hostage Ken Bigley in Iraq. He also had to apologise to Papua New Guinea after linking the country to "cannibalism and chief-killing."
