Today’s Guardian reports that Steve Norris will definitely not enter the race to become the next Tory Mayoral candidate.
The paper quotes Norris as saying “I won’t be putting my name forward for a variety of reasons, both business and personal.”
Mr Norris, who stood in 2000 and 2004, told GMTV last month that he was prepared to “fall on my sword” to help party leader David Cameron offer Londoners a modern and representative selection of candidates.
The decision by Norris leaves just six publicly declared candidates, the senior and respected London Assembly Member Richard Barnes, Kensington and Chelsea councillors Victoria Borwick and Warwick Lightfoot, think-tank director Nick Boles, former party worker and Parliamentary candidate James Cleverly and Lee Rotherham who is reported to favour abolition of the Mayor’s job.
There have been calls from some Conservative party members and newspapers to extend the deadline for nominations which close today.
