London mayoral hopeful Sadiq Khan has launched a scathing attack on the "beauty parade" that is Labour's early selection process.
Although he has not yet formerly declared his interest in running in 2015, Khan, who is currently shadow London minister, said the party's early frontrunners were playing "ego politics".
He avoided Labour's first unofficial hustings, where other fancied candidates David Lammy, Tessa Jowell, Lord Adonis and Diane Abbott sparred while the party's only declared candidate, the transport commentator Christian Wolmar, looked on from the audience.
Asked why he withdrew, Khan told the New Statesman: "I was told it was going to be a forum to discuss ideas about London and it was quite clear to me that it was actually turned into a beauty parade. I’ve got no interest in being involved in a beauty parade, or playing ego politics."
Although the MP for Tooting has not formally declared his intention to seek Labour's nomination, he left the door to a run for City Hall firmly ajar.
"If others want to flatter me and throw me those compliments, I’m not going to reject them, but my focus is definitely on the jobs I’ve been asked by Ed Miliband to do," he said.
He described incumbent Mayor Boris Johnson's recent speech - in which he suggested some people lack the intelligence to get on in life - as "simplistic snobbery".
"It was a frankly offensive and ill-thought-through speech for the Mayor of London to deliver," he added.
