Former Lib Dem MP rules out standing for re-election to city seat
FORMER LEEDS MP Greg Mulholland has revealed that he will not try to win back his seat at the next election, so he can concentrate on his family and a new campaigning role.
Liberal Democrat Mr Mulholland served as Leeds North West MP for 12 years but was unseated by Labour’s Alex Sobel during last summer’s snap election.
He told The Yorkshire Post that he has ruled out trying to regain the seat, to give himself more time with his family and because it would be a conflict of interest with his new role as a specialist campaigning and public affairs consultant.
And the father-of-three said his wife did not want him to stand again as his MP’s duties meant he was “rarely around to do normal parental duties” and missed out on time with his daughters.
Mr Mulholland was defending a 2,900 majority going into the election but lost by 4,224 votes, a process he described as “such a shock”. He said: “Having made the step to an alternative career, albeit one that was not planned, I need to commit to this for the sake of clients, causes I am working on and also my family, rather than looking over my shoulder wondering if I might try to get back into Parliament.
“Financially, I and we just couldn’t take the risk of me standing again, because in reality it means putting huge amounts of time into campaigning and compromising jobs and careers which we couldn’t risk as things stand.”
Mr Mulholland also hopes to focus more on music, as his band Summercross has nearly finished its first album, My Northern Heart.