Jeremy Corbyn is reportedly being urged by his allies to run for Mayor of London in two years.
The former Labour leader is being encouraged to use his “progressive” brand of politics to find an “alternative power base”, sources told the website Huffpost.
Mr Corbyn’s future remains unclear after the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that the party, under his leadership, had committed “unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination” and “did not do enough to prevent antisemitism”.
Mr Corbyn then claimed that the scale of antisemitism had been “dramatically overstated for political reasons” by opponents and the media, which resulted in the Labour whip being removed.
He now sits in the Commons as an independent MP and the current Labour leader, Keir Starmer, has said it is “difficult” to see how the whip could be restored.
A close ally of Mr Corbyn told Huffpost: “There are people who have encouraged him to run for mayor.
"There are people who feel that given the left’s progressive agenda through some of the metro mayors, having Jeremy do something similar in London would be a good axis.
“It’s not something he has ever said he has an appetite to do, but it has been discussed by people close to him.”
The source added that the capital is seen as “alternative power base” for Mr Corbyn’s “progressive” politics, adding: “And of course, it would be an easy win.”
A former party staffer cited Ken Livingstone’s success in London as an independent candidate, calling the run “doable”. If the Labour whip was not restored to Mr Corbyn, the source added, “and there is no leadership change in sight, then why not? He may as well give it a go. He could win and he’d be good.”
However, there is also scepticism among others who say he could split the left-wing vote, allowing a Conservative candidate to win, and a Labour insider said: “All Jeremy will achieve is replacing a Labour mayor who has made the city fairer, safer and more equal with a Thatcherite Tory. If that’s what he wants good luck to him — but I look forward to reading about him in the dustbin of history.”
Mayor Sadiq Khan was re-elected for a second term last year. The next election is due to be held in two years.
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