Lembit Opik, the eccentric Lib-Dem MP, best known for his celebrity girlfriends (he is currently dating Gabriela Irimia, one of the Cheeky Girls,a Romanian pop duo), has been expressing interest in standing for London mayor for a couple of months now.
But Lembit blows hot and cold on the idea, one minute saying he is "genuinely tempted" and the next that it is all an invention of the media.
In the last few days the odds have shortened with a comment from Ed Davey, chief of staff to the Liberal-Democrats party Leader, Ming Campbell, seeming to endorse a Lembit candidacy: "If he decided to run he would certainly make one of the most interesting candidates in the race."
Lembit's latest statement on the subject however, appears to pour cold water on the idea but interestingly allow it has been discussued: "Ed has said some very persuasive things. If I was a London MP I would stand like a shot. But the problem is it's 205 miles from my constituency and the people there have to come first.
"It would be a wonderful campaign with Boris, Ken and myself - serious politics with a smile. But I must courteously decline. I'm sure that won't stop the speculation, though."
Lembit Opik was born in 1965. He is of Estonian extraction (his parents were Estonian refugees and he was born in Northern Ireland). He is currently Liberal-Democrat MP for Montgomeryshire in Wales. He previously lived for several years with the popular television weather forecaster Sian Lloyd.
The Cheeky Girls are a music duo, Monica and Gabriela Irimia, twin sisters from Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania, Romania working in Britain. The sisters were born on October 31, 1982.
Images
Related Articles
On the Web
