Massow: I may quit Mayor race
Would-be London Mayor Ivan Massow today revealed he may pull out of this year's contest - because Ken Livingstone looks unbeatable.
The flamboyant businessman said he may wait another four years to avoid a head-on challenge to Mr Livingstone.
But he insisted he is still serious about standing and is even selling his £1.5 million country house to raise funds for a campaign.
"I am going to take a hard-headed decision at the very last minute before nominations close," he said.
"I have had hundreds of emails and letters urging me to stand but I have to be realistic.
"It is very difficult for an independent candidate to get the kind of profile that Ken enjoys.
"Basically, I am not going to be bullied into standing too soon if the time is not right."
Mr Massow, a gay, fox-hunting former Conservative, is one of the most colourful characters in the mayoral race.
A multimillionaire from his insurance business, he was once sacked as chairman of the Institute of Contemporary Arts.
He said that much of conceptual art was "pretentious, self-indulgent, craftless-tat". He said the decision to part with his weekend home, Melrose House, in Frome, Somerset, was painful but necessary to raise a £610,000 fighting fund.
He bought the 17th-century town house, complete with butler, housekeeper and gardeners, in 1995 and renovated it.
"I will need to spend every penny of that because Ken pushes himself forward all the time and I do not have the luxury of a party behind me.
"I also want to put all my focus into London which means no longer dividing my time between two places.
"I am getting a campaign infrastructure together but there is no hurry. Ken cannot stand for a third time so the contest will be wide open in 2008.
"There is only a finite amount of time and expense and energy one can put into getting this right. I am deadly serious about standing whenever the time is right."
Mr Massow, 36, has four homes altogether - the Somerset house, one in Soho and holiday homes in Ibiza and Barcelona.
