Rory stewart is an attention-seeking opportunist. But at least his candidacy is entertaining | thearticle

Independents are on the rise in local government. The council elections in May saw them gain hundreds of seats. Brexit has weakened allegiance to political parties and fuelled a general

“anti-politics” movement. Independents are particularly well suited for directly elected Mayoral contests. Added to that the importance in modern campaigning of being adept at using social

media and having a distinctive, quirky, personality and one can see why Rory Stewart has managed to cause a bit of a stir by declaring his candidacy for Mayor of London. Yet I predict his

candidacy will prove short-lived. The real problem is the lack of authenticity. This is not a Londoner with a great sense of loyalty and identity to his City, motivated by clear and

longstanding focus to see it advance. Rory is an accidental candidate. An attention-seeking opportunist who has fallen into the role for wont of anything else to do. People are willing to

shift from their party allegiance – but only if there is a reason to do so… Is there any politician more indulged by the media than Rory Stewart? Routinely he will say whatever comes into

his head – even if it is not merely at odds with the facts, but with what he himself said the previous week or even the previous day. Last year when he was Prisons Minister he said he’d

resign if there wasn’t a “substantial” fall in assaults. They went up. But he accepted promotion to the Cabinet. A few months ago when he was standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party

he said the main policies were to have more spending on the Common Agricultural Policy and an increase in the number of civil servants. While criticising as “reckless” the spending pledges

of his rivals he was the worst offender. Then Stewart went to Kew Gardens and pretended to be conducting a selfie video but was caught out after it emerged someone else was holding the

camera. After being defeated, he voted with Labour and the Lib Dems to undermine the Government’s negotiating position on Brexit by “taking no-deal off the table”. He had the Whip withdrawn.

He still stressed his loyalty to the Conservatives. “Rory is a Tory,” was his slogan. He wanted to be the Conservative candidate for Penrith and The Border. If he couldn’t have that label,

then he would stand as an independent. That was the part of the country that captured his heart. His greatest cause was to “subsidise to the hilt” the hill farmers. Next, he thought he might

start his own political party – modelled on Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche in France. Well, Rory is keen on walking. Then six days after tweeting “the only thing I am launching next week is my

four-year-old’s model boat” he appeared on the Millennium Bridge to announce his candidacy for Mayor of London. He talked about the priority to improve air quality – but then said he backed

a third runway for Heathrow Airport. He proclaims the need for “civility” but is keen to make personal attacks on Boris Johnson – including swipes about the Prime Minister’s private life.

How does Rory get away with it? The only issue he has been challenged on is being white. That is the one point that he should not be attacked for. It is not his fault – nor can he be blamed

for having been to Eton. But it has been noted that the incumbent Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is Muslim while the Conservative challenger, Shaun Bailey, is black. Aside from the media’s silly point

about identity politics Stewart broadly embodies the prejudices of the pundits. The Conservatives may have an opinion poll lead – but Stewart feels the support comes from the wrong sort of

people. The fashionable, smart set are being alienated. Snobbish remainers love this message and thus see him as their champion. Stewart’s self promotion, while retaining an affectation of

mystery about being a spy or an intimate of the Royal Family, is something journalists would rather play along with, than examine too closely. I doubt it will be enough to sustain his

candidacy through to May – let alone propel him to victory. Politics involves some hard grind – it’s not just about touring TV studios and  pretending to take selfies. The back up of a

political party is a great help. To be a candidate you need “330 signatures of people on the electoral register in London supporting the nomination, consisting of 10 from each London borough

and 10 from the City of London”. Can Rory be bothered to collect them? Will he have enough of a team to do it for him? The opinion polls will be crucial. What if Rory is in fourth place –

behind Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems? Or even fifth place behind the Green Party? My prediction is that, in January, the media will have got bored with him and that the _Evening

Standard_ will publish a poll with him languishing on single figures. Then Rory will withdraw his candidacy. It is an ego trip, rather than part of some well-considered project. Those with

big egos can also have fragile egos. If he is heading for a derisory result he will find some excuse to stand down. Yet, however cynical and absurd Stewart’s candidacy might be, I don’t

think it will do any harm. Some Conservatives have been irritated by it – and have been spurred to campaign or donate to assist Bailey’s challenge. If Stewart does make it through to the

ballot paper it need not necessarily split the Conservative vote – that is because fans of Stewart could use their second preference for Bailey. More broadly, Stewart’s declaration has at

least increased interest in the Mayoral race. It might offer a bit more scrutiny to Sadiq Khan’s failings – most seriously on youth crime. The delay over Brexit has been a blessing for Khan

as it has meant attention is elsewhere. If by the time of the Mayoral election we have finally left the EU (whether this month or in January) that may change. Some of the themes Stewart is

likely to promote will have merit. For example, the need to have beautiful traditional architecture for new housing to ensure it is popular and an enhancement to the city. There is also

something welcome in Stewart’s approach of touring across the whole of London. Political parties tend to focus their efforts on areas where they are strongest. Then there is the sheer

entertainment value. The randomness and comic appeal. The plucky effort to seek out unpromising and obscure territory. So while it is a fundamentally flawed venture, I can see why some are

enthused by Rory Stewart’s candidacy. All I would say to them is enjoy it while it lasts. When the votes are cast on 7 May next year,  my bet is that he will have already moved on to some

new bit of shameless showboating.