Simon: ‘Votes might not come quickly enough for me’

AN interesting take from Al-Jazeera on the battle in Hampstead and Kilburn ahead, where Tulip Siddiq looks to hold Glenda Jackson’s Commons seat at the next general election for Labour. Its excitement centres on Tulip’s aunt being Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, insisting that here, in little ol’ Camden, the poll “break new ground by heralding the creation of a cross-border political dynasty”. The article reports  how professors believe our election could lead to the “first example of a powerful family whose official reach has transcended borders.”

As Tulip does her best to laugh off this grand premise, look out for her Conservative challenger Simon Marcus’s quotes where  he talks about a shift towards the Tories in the constituency. “It’s very subtle, very slow,” he is quoted as saying. “It may not happen quickly enough for 2015 for me, but the sooner the happens the better.” It’s a rather unusual concession to see in quotes from the candidate himself at this stage of the contest.