Man Utd legend Gary Neville moves into politics and could run for Manchester mayor

Posted Saturday, January 15, 2022 by Dailystar.co.uk

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has revealed he has joined the Labour party, and the former United captain didn't rule out the possibility of running for Manchester mayor in the future

Manchester United legend Gary Neville could be set for a career change as the full-back has joined the Labour party.

The former 46-year-old was publicly welcomed to the Labour party by shadow cabinet ministers Lucy Powell and Anneliese Dodds.

Neville urged Sir Kier Starmer to take the party back to the centre when speaking to the BBC.

But, interestingly, Neville didn't rule out the possibility of running for the Mayor of Manchester, which has been held by Andy Burnham since 2017.

However, Neville did rule out the possibility of being an MP, as he would get "eaten alive" in Westminster.

Man Utd legend Gary Neville moves into politics and could run for Manchester mayor
Neville has joined the Labour party

Neville said: "I say to myself sometimes I'm able to communicate, I know what I want, I have got a business mind, I can manage people in respect of businesses.

"But I just think I'd get eaten alive. I don't know what Whitehall is like, Westminster is like.

"I can only imagine what you have to do there to survive and I don't play the game, so how can I get in?

"So when I ask myself the question do you want to dip your toes in, I can't dip my toes in because I'm all or nothing. I go in and I'm going in."

Man Utd legend Gary Neville moves into politics and could run for Manchester mayor
Andy Burnham is currently the Greater Manchester mayor (Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

"I have joined in the last few days the Labour Party. That is purely for myself, I want to support Labour.

"I do believe we need a progressive Labour Party.

"But one that not just looks after what would be the left side of the party, it has to come towards the centre."

However, Neville didn't rule out running for public office: "I don't know at the moment.

Man Utd legend Gary Neville moves into politics and could run for Manchester mayor
Sol Campbell ran for Mayor of London in 2015 (Image: 2020 CameraSport)

Should Neville run for the position of Mayor of Manchester, he wouldn't be the first footballer to run for public office.

In 2015 former Arsenal and Tottenham defender Sol Campbell announced his intention to run as the Tory candidate for London Mayor.

"I’m going in with my eyes wide open. I know I’m not going to be a frontrunner,” Campbell told The Sun after he announced his intention to run as a Conservative candidate.

But Campbell failed to make the four-man shortlist for the Conservatives candidate.