Boris Johnson’s Deputy Mayor has thrown her hat into the ring to become the next Tory MP for safe Kensington - as the selection contest looked set to be dominated by high-flying women.
Victoria Borwick became the first candidate to break cover, telling the Evening Standard she would fight to stop a mansion tax if selected.
Three big-name women backed by Cabinet members were said to be poised to join the battle for a seat regarded one of the most desirable for any ambitious Conservative. The Prime Minister is said by Tory sources to favour Laura Trott, his adviser at No 10 on women’s issues and education.
Mr Cameron’s favourite speechwriter Clare Foges, 33 - who once drove an ice-cream van in Guildford - is another likely contender, along with Philippa Stroud, a key policy adviser to Iain Duncan Smith on welfare reform.
The plum seat is being vacated by Sir Malcolm Rifkind, stepping down after a “cash for influence” furore. TV historian Dan Snow, who co-organised last year’s “love letter to Scotland” signed by Sir Mick Jagger and Stephen Hawking, is understood to have been encouraged to run by Tory HQ, though he is not currently a party member or on the approved list of candidates.
Shaun Bailey, the black London youth worker who advises the PM on youth and crime, would have Mr Cameron’s support. Sports stars and TV celebrities tipped to pitch include Olympic rower James Cracknell and former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss. Some media reports even named Chelsea and Manchester City star Frank Lampard.
Mr Johnson’s aviation adviser Daniel Moylan is also in the running, according to City Hall sources. He led the case for a new airport in the Thames Estuary.
One big beast ruled out is the Mayor, as he was selected last summer to stand in Uxbridge and South Ruislip. He had his eye on Kensington for years, but Sir Malcolm refused to retire. Uxbridge has a bigger Tory majority but Kensington is ideally placed for someone with ambitions for No 10.
Ms Borwick said: “I am fiercely op-posed to Labour’s mansion tax, which would hit Kensington very hard and penalise many cash-poor, asset-rich people, who bought family homes 20 to 30 years ago and now face an extra annual tax of £10,000 a year or more. I would do all I can to stop it.” A mother of four, she lives in the constituency and said: “I know Kensington inside out.
“In political terms, I love getting my hands dirty. I have even been lowered through a manhole cover into the Thames Tideway sewer. But then, as Boris’s deputy, I get all the best jobs.”
A shortlist of around three names will be drawn up by Tory Chairman Grant Shapps and local officials, for a final vote by members. Previous MPs have included diarist Alan Clark, would-be leader Michael Portillo, and the late Sir Nicholas Scott, once found passed out in a gutter.
