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Original poster

Chuka withdraws from the leadership contest!

151 replies

MagentaVitus · 15/05/2015 10:41

With a turn around that quick, there has got to be a scandal.

What's your bet on? Mine is either scam girlfriend or money troubles.

Thoughts?

OP posts:
DinosaursRoar · 15/05/2015 12:16

yep, there's dirt. I'm always surprised how many people don't think stuff will come out in the press if they go for high profile public roles.

I wonder if the press will print anyway, or hold off to see if he does go for London Mayor. Someone in Labour HQ obviously has had a stressful couple of days!

frankie80 · 15/05/2015 12:18

I hope Tristram Hunt puts his name forward. I'm not really keen on the other options TBH

nancy75 · 15/05/2015 12:19

Being gay shouldn't matter, but in a country that just gave 4 million votes to UKIP does anyone honestly think there is any chance of a non white gay man becoming PM?

Viviennemary · 15/05/2015 12:20

I don't think being gay or bi-sexual would matter. My opinion is that it's to do with money and tax or even benefit.

RiskManagement · 15/05/2015 12:21

Seems very strange to me too. I completely get that some (most) people wouldn't want to live with the kind of scrutiny that this campaign would bring, but that can't possibly be a surprise to him. If he knew there were skeletons, he must have know they'd come out too.

There are so many candidates in the frame ATM that it seems unlikely they're going to make a good choice IMO. So maybe that's part of it. It could be something as simple as deciding this isn't the right time. He's young both he and Labour might do better in 5/10 years time. But again, you'd have thought he'd considered that before making his announcement.

Isn't there some sort of (legal) tax avoidance going on with his home, so that could be the "scandal"? In the current climate not paying your taxes seems to be more offensive than some more traditional crimes against morality.

I don't think a pregnant girlfriend is a scandal these days, although they might be encouraged to marry. I don't think being gay would be an end to a leadership campaign either (DM isn't going to support Labour anyway!)

claig · 15/05/2015 12:22

'I'm always surprised how many people don't think stuff will come out in the press if they go for high profile public roles'

Isn't it that the press know but don't tell the people?

frankie80 · 15/05/2015 12:24

he has a tendency to walk out of interviews too. Likes the attention but not the pressure?

claig · 15/05/2015 12:25

'but that can't possibly be a surprise to him. If he knew there were skeletons, he must have know they'd come out too. '

I guess there is in general a feeling among the metropolitan elite that there is an understood metropolitan agreement that nothing will be old to the people.

RiskManagement · 15/05/2015 12:27

Don't these people watch The West Wing?! Grin

myshinynewusername · 15/05/2015 12:27

Guido has tweeted asking if anyone has a phone number for Tinie Tempah with a link to this story from Nov 2014 -

order-order.com/2014/11/13/chuka-boasts-of-mystery-girlfriend/#_@/as_zP0qjhjltlA

OttiliaVonBCup · 15/05/2015 12:29

It's odd timing.

I wonder who leaked it, whatever it was. it only suits his rivals for the Labour leader.

Anybody else would have kept it quiet until the next election and then slapped him.

RiskManagement · 15/05/2015 12:34

I imagine it's the Labour Party doing damage limitation. They'll have done their own background checks just as thoroughly as any journalist (at least that's how it works on the West Wing!)

i.e. if they know there's something that would come out at the next election, they want to prevent him being leader now, rather than it being one of his rivals working against him IYSWIM

However, as shadow business secretary he's still pretty high profile and potentially a member of any future Labour cabinet, so any scandal is almost as relevant and damaging whether he runs for the leadership or not. Will be interesting to see what happened next.

OttiliaVonBCup · 15/05/2015 12:37

I would imagine they would have had a quiet word with him, rather than splashing it all over the Sunday papers.

Wait and see!

SomethingFunny · 15/05/2015 12:37

I very much doubt that it is because he's gay- I would actually think that would be an asset for the leadership contest. I think that Labour are desperate to have someone who is not a straight, white, middle-class man to show how different they are.

I am actually glad he's stood down as I feared they were going to pick him because of the colour of his skin and not because he was the next person for the job (which I never thought he was).

DinosaursRoar · 15/05/2015 12:48

I think the days of the press keeping quiet on senior politician dirt is long gone, the "sleeze" stories of the Major government should have put pay to any politician thinking stuff would kept hidden.

That said, people are very good at not thinking their own skeletons matter, or if they put stuff behind them, they don't think it should matter to anyone else...

I also think being a hidden bisexual would sadly be seen as a scandal whereas being openly gay wouldn't be.

Behooven · 15/05/2015 12:51

Maybe he is gay or bi but wants to keep his private life private. In such a spotlight as prospective labour leader that just wouldn't be possible.
It's not something that would matter a jot to his competency but I suppose there are some people wouldn't like it.

OttiliaVonBCup · 15/05/2015 12:53

I didn't mean keeping quiet.

I think the damage would have been greater with a different timing.

RiskManagement · 15/05/2015 12:53

TBF the sleaziest bit about the JM government didn't come out until long after he'd left and it wasn't the press that ran it, although they must have known.

I think there's probably something he thinks is OK (not scandal worthy) but the party hierarchy have told him otherwise.

I don't think being gay would be enough, but lying about being gay and having a fake girlfriend would.

Using a trust to avoid tax, whilst perfectly legal and reasonable to those who do it, would not play well from a Labour leader.

DinosaursRoar · 15/05/2015 12:55

oh I don't know, if he wanted to keep his private life private and there wasn't something else he was hiding, he wouldn't have put his name forward in the first place...

TheRollingCrone · 15/05/2015 12:56

I,m not keen on Chuka( too right wing IMHO). I think his sexuality shouldn't be an issue.But with the press we have, it was bound to be.

DinosaursRoar · 15/05/2015 12:59

Risk - true, although the majority of the press in the UK are pro-Tory, Labour front benchers can't expect anywhere near the same level of understanding of their private mistakes.

Agree about legal but 'immoral' tax arrangements and lying about being gay being enough of a scandal.

Treats · 15/05/2015 12:59

The press definitely know something - as I said up thread there was a veiled reference to his private life in the Times last week. Maybe they were sitting on it until he became more prominent and the story became more interesting.

RiskManagement · 15/05/2015 12:59

Maybe be announced he was running without discussing it with his GF first.....

Sansarya · 15/05/2015 16:41

I too have heard stories for a while from my gay friends that Chuka plays for their team. I'm guessing the Daily Heil may have some story to that effect that they were threatening to run. If that's the case then it's a real shame - surely we've reached a point where a potential leader can be out of the closet?

Arsenic · 15/05/2015 16:46

It must be more complicated than that.