THE STIRRER’S MAYORAL BLOG 3

AFTER BRADY - WHO NEXT?

21-04-2007

Now that Karren Brady has declared her hand as a prospective mayor for Birmingham, the question is - who’ll declare their interest next?

The odds are that it won’t be a local politician. They are all currently tied up with the local elections, and anyway, the ruling coalition is officially hoping the whole thing will go away (ruling out and Tory or Lib Dem hopefuls), while no Labour prospect will want to seem too ambitious until a vote is certain.

Hmm, except maybe one politician - the redoubtable John Hemming, Lib Dem MP, local councillor and inveterate contributor to our messageboards.

Hemming has repeatedly said that he has other fish to fry, not least sorting out the whole issue of family law in this country, but there are those who’ll swear that he’s been heard singing a different tune in private.

We shall see, but our bet is that if the time comes, Hemming would step up to the plate - andbe regarded as a serious candidate.

Don’t discount Digby Jones either. He has never ruled himself out of the race, and he was in electrifying form at Opus restaurant this week, entertaining members of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce with a wide-ranging speech showing an immense grasp of the political world (see our report of it here).

He commented that he could never be a politician because he’s so outspoken, no party would have him.

We’re not so sure about that - standing either as an independent, or even as a Labour candidate is not beyond the bounds of possibility. A mayor who regularly dines with prime minister in waiting Gordon Brown might be a pretty useful asset.

Do Hemming or Sir Digby butter yer parsnips? Leave a comment on our messageboard.