Hague rules out future leadership bid
Former Conservative leader William Hague has ruled out standing for the party’s leadership again, having abandoned his ambition to become Prime Minister.
Mr Hague, 43, told the Daily Telegraph that he would find a life dominated by politics too “boring” and unfulfilling.
The MP for Richmond, North Yorks, who resigned as Conservative leader following his party’s 2001 election defeat, told the paper that although he would not “completely rule out” a return to the front bench in years to come, he would not be seeking a political comeback in the short term.
“I don’t know whether I will ever go back on to the front, but don’t rush me,” he said, emphasising that he and wife Ffion, 36, are keen to start a family.
Asked if he would stand for the leadership again, Mr Hague replied: “No. Definitely not.”
“I feel fortunate that, by the age of 40, I had crammed in an entire political career. I had been in the Cabinet and been leader of the party, so now I can branch out into other things…it is a very liberating feeling,” added Mr Hague, who recently published a biography of William Pitt the Younger.
The Telegraph claims that Mr Hague’s decision will disappoint some senior Conservatives who believe that his return to the front bench would boost the fortunes of the party.
Mr Hague became an MP at 27 and was Leader of the Opposition by the time he was 36.
