“Obviously I can deliver” – Margaret Hodge suggests she might run for London Mayor

Could Margaret Hodge run for Mayor of London? Rumours were circulating in Westminster earlier this summer than the Public Accounts Committee Chair was having second thoughts about a London-wide tilt, but it seems she’s still interested. In an interview with the Sunday Times(£), the Barking MP said:

“I would be mad not to take it seriously. When I look at my CV, I think, well, obviously I can deliver, but I haven’t definitely made up my mind.”

Yet she suggests that her time at Islington Council – when there was widespread abuse at children’s homes – might be raised if she runs for Mayor:

“The professionals said these allegations were false but we didn’t listen to the voices of children and obviously we should have done. And I’m realistic — I know if I stand as mayor, people will crawl all over it again. I can’t change what happened. In a lifetime of public service, that was my biggest mistake.”

So far the only candidates to announce so far are David Lammy and Christian Wolmar – but Tessa Jowell, Sadiq Khan, Diane Abbott and Andrew Adonis are all names that have been linked repeatedly with the role in recent weeks.