Iain Dale drops bid to become Tunbridge Wells MP

Broadcaster Iain Dale has withdrawn his bid to become a Conservative candidate in the General Election following comments that have resurfaced online.

Earlier this week Iain announced on his LBC evening show that he was stepping down from the station after 14 years so he could put himself forward to stand for Parliament.

Appearing on Nick Ferrari’s Breakfast Show this morning, Iain explained that he is no longer seeking selection as a candidate.

He told Nick that he’d been contacted by the local Conservative Party who said they had a communication from the Liberal Democrats saying they had unearthed a clip from his For the Many podcast from two years ago of him saying he didn’t like living in Tunbridge Wells and he’d rather live somewhere else.

Iain said that this clip was out of context but he understood how in isolation it could cause a problem, so he took the decision to withdraw his name from the shortlist.

When asked what’s next for him, Iain said: “I think I’ve got to take time to reflect on that because I’ve made the mistake of making a decision without probably thinking about every possible consequence so it would be a bit silly to do the same again.”

I’ve just explained to @NickFerrariLBC why I have decided to pull out of being a candidate for Tunbridge Wells. As you can imagine, it’s not been the easiest week! But that’s modern day politics, and I knew that when I got into it. https://t.co/5N6Rz5TfRU

— Iain Dale (@IainDale) May 31, 2024