Ed Balls ruled out returning to politics as a Labor candidate in the upcoming Wakefield by-elections.
The former shadow chancellor, who lost his seat in Morley and Outwood in the 2015 general election, wrote on Twitter that he “has no intention of running” for the contest.
West Yorkshire’s constituency must elect a new lawmaker after incumbent President Imran Ahmad Khan was convicted last week of sexually assaulting a teenager.
Khan, who was expelled from the Conservative Party following a verdict in Southwark court last week, has announced he will step down to challenge the jury’s decision.
There have been reports that Balls will be vying for the seat, but former education secretary, who is married to shadow secretary Yvette Cooper, tweeted: “I came back from New York to find that Wakefield’s speculation was still going on.
“I appreciate all the announcements, but to remove any doubt, no one has told me about it, and I have no intention of introducing myself when the current MP finally resigns!”
A date for the by-elections has not yet been set.
Bols began a career outside of politics after losing his post, including a tenure as chairman of FC Norwich City and participation in cooking and travel television programs.
He also appeared on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing program in 2016 and has established himself as a political and social commentator in the media.
During his ten years in the municipality, Balls served under former Prime Minister Tony Blair as finance minister and was later promoted to cabinet as education secretary by Gordon Brown, with whom he is closely associated.
He finished third in the 2010 Labor election, which was won by Ed Miliband after Brown’s resignation at No. 10, and held positions in the shadow cabinet until his election defeat five years later.
Wakefield became a son during Boris Johnson’s convincing election victory in 2019, while occupying seats on the red wall in the traditional hearts of Labor in the north of England, the Midlands and North Wales.
Labor took the place from the 1930s until Khan’s victory. Keir Starmer will seek to win him back from a Conservative party besieged by allegations of breaking the rules in recent months and after Johnson and Rishi Sunak were fined by police for violating coronavirus rules during the blockade.
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