It may not seem the obvious next step up the greasy pole to power, but Croydon may well end up being the home to this country’s next Prime Minister.
Why? Well, a veteran Conservative MP has announced that he is standing down at the next general election. Richard Ottaway, the MP for Croydon South, told his constituency party: “I feel now is the right time to call it a day.â€
The announcement has resulted in fevered speculation that the Tories will parachute the current Mayor of London into the safe Conservative seat. Mr Ottaway won the seat with a majority of almost 16,000.
The Metro reports that ‘it has already been speculated that such a berth would be suited to the charismatic Mayor of London, should he wish to make a return to Westminster.’
While Bozza has always repeatedly stated that he wants to conclude his second term as Mayor before considering a return to Westminster, this safe Tory seat would give him the opportunity to return to front line politics and make a bid for the Tory leadership after the 2015 election.
Croydon Today says: “Political commentators have this morning suggested the idea of Johnson keeping two jobs for a year would be much easier to sell if his parliamentary seat is also within London, rather than the alternative options of Reigate and Banstead or Mole Valley, also put forward by Tory top brass.’
The speculation about Boris wanting to be PM is going to run on for a long time yet. But the fact is there is no secret being made of this. Boris wants to be Prime Minister and everyone knows it. Even David Cameron is fully aware he is not going to be PM in only a few years and has even said that he is not interested in leading another parliament.