Me, mayor of London? No, there’s a comic in the job already, says Russell Brand
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Version 0 of 1. Comedian Russell Brand has ruled himself out of running for mayor of London, saying the capital already had a “comic in the job” in Boris Johnson. Brand – whose new book Revolution outlines how he wants society to change – said he was “absolutely not” planning to succeed Johnson, the Conservative mayor since 2008, following reports that he was considering standing for election. In an interview to be broadcast on radio station Xfm’s breakfast show on Tuesday, Brand told presenter Jon Holmes: “I think we’ve already got a comedian who’s more known for his hair than his policies.” Holmes asked him: “So this is a no, you’re not going to do it?” Brand replied: “Absolutely not. We’ve already got a comic in the job. If you want a daft comedian running London, just leave things as they are. What I’m interested in is real change.” Discussing Johnson in the interview, Brand said: “You can see why people like him. He’s a funny bloke, he’s affable, he’s got a nice way with him. But this is a time where a lot of Londoners are facing real fear about their homes. “Boris Johnson, the elected mayor – elected to look after us, the people of London – takes five times more meetings with bankers than he does with civil servants, or representatives of the fire brigade, or any ordinary Londoner.” Responding at the weekend to the possibility of the comic standing against him in 2016, Johnson said: “Russell Brand may be about as convincing as a political theorist as a toaster made by Russell Hobbs, but he is at least engaging his leftwing audience with something they can recognise as passion. “As a phenomenon he is a sign of the disintegration of the left and the weakness of Ed Miliband, and he therefore needs every possible encouragement,” he added in a column in the Daily Telegraph. The interview will be broadcast on Xfm from 8am on Tuesday. |