SIMON SAYS – “I QUIT?”

07-01-2010

Mystery surrounds the future of Erdington MP and Creative Industries Minister Sion Simon – with speculation that he could quit at the next election.

Under the headline “Simon Has Simply Had Enough Of Politics”, London’s Evening Standard reports that the former journalist is considering giving up his seat following his recent involvement in the expenses scandal in which he was ordered to repay £21,000 claimed in rent on a flat owned by his sister.

He previously became embroiled in controversy when he spoofed the famous Webcameron video - a satire which has now attracted a following of its own.

As the Labour MP with the largest majority in Birmingham (9,575) there’s no reason to believe that Simon doesn’t stand a decent chance of retaining his seat – but he certainly can’t be regarded as a “shoo in”.

Erdington’s Tories have been resurgent at local Council level, taking all three seats in the Erdington ward since 2006 – with sparky councillor Robert Alden going head to head with Labour in the Westminster election.

Elsewhere in the constituency, Conservative Matt Bennett took one of the three Stockland Green seats from Labour in 2008, while Tory teenager Gary Sambrook came within 80 votes of nicking a seat in Kingstanding – all indicators that Erdington will be one of the most fiercely contested seats in the city.

The Stirrer’s efforts to contact Simon Simon last night were unsuccessful but one colleague dismissed the rumours as "tittle tattle". We shall see.

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