Is Hodge in the running for London Mayor?

The likely candidates for London Mayor are largely known. Sadiq Khan, David Lammy, Diane Abbott, Andrew Adonis and Tessa Jowell are all thought to be considering a tilt at the mayoralty, but could there be another name in the frame – is Margaret Hodge planning to run for London Mayor? Rachel Sylvester wrote in The Times(£) this morning:

“Senior Labour figures believe the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) could have the “multigrain” quality required to win in London. Like Mr Johnson, Mrs Hodge has risen above party politics and captured the public mood with her investigations on tax avoidance. Combining meticulous attention to detail with campaigning zeal, she became the tribune of the people when she grilled the heads of Google, Starbucks and Amazon, forcing millions of pounds out of the coffee chain on behalf of the taxpayer and embarrassing the other global corporates…Like Mr Johnson, Mrs Hodge is unconventional, happy to ruffle feathers and one of the few politicians who has captured the anti-politics mood. She could yet be Labour’s star turn in London.”

Hodge hasn’t said anything publicly to suggest she wants to run for London Labour’s top job, but this certainly sounds like she’s either being encouraged, or would consider running. And it’s not the first time Hodge has been mentioned as a possible candidate – as we reported last year, Polly Toynbee suggested that Hodge might be interested.