Keith Vaz is acting very much like a man who wants to get reselected for Leicester East. As readers know the MP who replaced him in 2019, Claudia Webbe, is currently suspended from the Labour Party facing harassment charges. Webbe pleads not guilty and is due to appear for trial on 16 March, 2021.

Webbe’s predecessor has not gone quietly into the night, for all intents and purposes acting as if he is still, or will soon be, the MP:

• He has mailed a large number of households in Leicester with a campaign to save the local hospital. A classic self-promotion tactic, and a bizarre one given the local hospitals are receiving an extra £450 million.
• He’s been out campaigning. It’s not uncommon to see Vaz making political appearances in Leicester, despite the pandemic. Recently protesting to save a local statue of Gandhi.
• Guido understands Vaz appears to still be carrying out casework more than a year after leaving Parliament. Guido is told he is operating under an email address called ‘KeithOffice2020’…

While the jury is out on whether he will be successful, Vaz is putting in the effort to make a return to the green benches. He is powerful locally and it is clear he sees Webbe’s tenure as a mere interregnum. Surely he couldn’t come back? Surely…