Ivan Massow: Was Section 28 the reason the Tories did not pick me for mayor?

Over the weekend, CCHQ selected the four Tory candidates for London mayor who will proceed to an open primary in September. Playing it safe they opted for experience over celebrity, with Andrew Boff, Zac Goldsmith, Syed Kamall and Stephen Greenhalgh all chosen.

This means both Sol Campbell and Ivan Massow have not been selected. While the footballer has been notably quiet since the news, Massow appears to be taking it less well. The businessman — who is openly gay — has issued a statement on his Facebook page in which he speaks of his disappointment. In this, Massow — who once accompanied Margaret Thatcher to Tory conference — asks if his history with the party over Section 28 may have held him back. Michael Gove’s former flatmate wonders if his decision to leave the party for Labour in 2000 over the Tories continued stand supporting the section of the Local Government Act 1988 — which prohibited local authorities from ‘promoting’ homosexuality — was to blame for the snub:

‘It’s hard to know whether my bust-up with the party over Section 28 almost 15 years ago played a part in their reckoning or if they just felt safer selecting known party insiders.’

However, given that David Cameron publicly apologised in 2009 on behalf of his party for their support of the policy, Massow may want to look closer to home.