Could Idris Elba, the film star and anti-knife crime campaigner, be in the running to be Labour candidate for London mayor? He is rumoured to be the party’s top choice to replace Sir Sadiq Khan, who is expected to stand down ahead of the next London mayoral election, likely to take place in 2028. Could he? Would he? Why would someone as rich and famous as Elba – as close as it comes to a genuine box office star – throw it all away for the chance to be the capital’s political top dog? Are long meetings at City Hall discussing the congestion charge that interesting?
There is something depressing about the naked political cynicism on display
Labour bigwigs say Idris is ‘top of our wish list’ to be the next candidate for City Hall. A senior party source, positively salivating at the prospect, told the Sun newspaper: ‘We can pick a Labour insider and try to make them famous. Or we can pick someone famous aligned with Labour.’ Kudos for honesty, then.
Why has the Labour party got the hots for Idris? It is certainly true that he has greater name recognition with voters than the usual list of bored London MPs who end up throwing their hats in the ring for the role. Labour MPs Dawn Butler, Stella Creasy and Rosena Allin-Khan are rumoured to be thinking about standing for London mayor. The Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s name has also been mentioned as another possible candidate. Really? Is it any wonder some Labour apparatchiks are trying to twist Elba’s arm? He would be a good bet in any race against Lammy, that’s for sure.
There are other things in his favour. Away from the film and TV screens, Elba has shown himself to be a good political campaigner, and has worked with the Prime Minister Keir Starmer on tackling surging knife crime in the capital. He joined Starmer in No. 10 last year in a drive to stop young people getting sucked into gang violence. Elba has called for the points of knives to be blunted to help reduce violent crime rates. He has won widespread acclaim for his campaigning, including his message to young people that gangs ‘are not big and scary’ – a theme emphasised in a TV documentary he made on the topic. He has shown courage and a certain political shrewdness in choosing to focus on violent crime, a salient issue with voters in the capital. Another thing going for him is that he has remained close to his London roots. He was born and raised in Hackney and still lives in London.
All in all, Labour alighting on Elba as their ideal candidate for London mayor isn’t as far-fetched as it first appears. Yet there is something depressing about the naked political cynicism on display. Is this really what politics has come down to? A case of sticking the campaign rosette on the most famous person you can find, and hoping that celebrity status swings it with the voters. It is often said that politics is show business for ugly people. There is a danger that it is becoming showbiz, period. Elba has shown himself to be an engaging campaigner, and someone who is at ease with ordinary people. That cannot be said about every Hollywood star. Yet campaigning on single issues is a world away from the daily reality of being in charge of one the world’s biggest capital cities. What policy-making experience does he have? What is his stance on other social and economic issues? Is he ready for the rough and tumble of life as a politician?
One thing is clear. Everyone seems to want a piece of Idris Elba, a sprinkling of his obvious star dust. He was once considered a frontrunner to be the next James Bond. Being London mayor is nowhere near as glamorous or exciting as the part of 007. The job is much more important and definitely more tedious. It’s why dull machine politicians usually end up in City Hall. Elba should be careful what he wishes for.
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