Sir Alan mulls over mayoral bid

Sir Alan was speaking to Vanessa Feltz on BBC London Radio

Businessman Sir Alan Sugar has said he has not ruled out standing for London mayor in 2012.

According to recent newspaper reports, Labour Party insiders said they want him as their next mayoral candidate.

But speaking to Vanessa Feltz on BBC London Radio, Sir Alan said he believed in "sticking to what you know".

A Labour party spokesman said the process of finding a candidate was a "long way off" and would be decided by party members.

Speaking on the Vanessa Show he added that the first he knew about it was when he was contacted by a national newspaper which said sources within the Labour Party were putting his name forward.

"It would be a massive challenge," he said.

"One should never underestimate the knowledge that one needs to take on a thing like that and I've always been one of those people to say stick to what you know."

"I've been one of those people who walks into the office and says, 'This is what we are going to do'.

"But I don't think you can do that in politics and government."

Sir Alan said his wife had told him they could do worse, adding: "One can never say never, but it is a long shot.

"It is an interesting thought.

"Someone like me who tends to cut to the chase, so to speak, would be the right sort of person to look after a city like London."

'For the people'

He described himself as a life-long Labour Party supporter, saying: "There was a period of time when I was not happy with the Labour Party, the kind of Scargill era.

"But when Tony Blair came along, he effectively came out with this New Labour concept and New Labour, as I've stated so many times before, is to me the Conservative Party under a different guise.

"It is therefore more for the people than perhaps the Conservatives were in the past.

"In other words they are interested in prosperity, but prosperity for everybody and not just the elite few."

A Labour party spokesman said: "We welcome expressions of interest in becoming our candidate - especially from someone of his calibre."

Sir Alan has been a financial donor to the Labour Party. He gave £200,000 to the party in 2001.