Former footballer and ex-England captain, Sol Campbell has officially announced his plans to run for London Mayor as a member of the Conservative Party.
The announcement comes as other Conservative members prepare for the official Mayoral Hustings, which will take place in July, and which Campbell will partake in.
The footballer, who retired in 2012 following a short stint at Newcastle FC, has said that he wants to ‘bring something new’ to the table, though admits that he is unlikely to lead the race.
“I’m going in with my eyes wide open,” he told The Sun. “I know I’m not going to be a frontrunner.”
Despite his lack of experience, Campbell believes that his non-political background would be a blessing rather than a curse, if he was to become London Mayor, pointing out that those who have gone before him have often failed to deliver for the people of London.
“I look at people who have been in politics for five, 10, 15 years, and muck up, you see them muck up and think, ‘you guys are supposed to be pro!” he added.
“People that have gone to Oxbridge, had thousands spent on their education, and I mean they are royally mucking up.”
“I bring something new to the table. This is a whole new road for me, something I can get my teeth into but I just felt it was something I had to do.
“I come from a working class background, it wasn’t easy for me at all, but I worked hard. And now it’s about giving something back.”
Campbell had initially intended to run for Mayor as a Labour Candidate, however, following Labour’s announcement of the Mansion Tax, which Cambpell publicly denounced, he switched over to the Tory team.
Ahead of current Mayor Boris Johnson stepping down from his position as London Mayor in 2016, order to pursue his political ambitions as an MP, Campbell will go up against three other Conservative candidates,. Also in the running for the Tory candidacy are entrepreneur Ivan Massow, current deputy mayor Stephen Greenhalgh and London Assembly member Andrew Boff, and MP Zak Goldsmith. If he wins, Campbell will then go up against one of Labour’s candidates, who include Tessa Jowell, Diane Abott and David Lammy.
