Olympic rower James Cracknell bids to become Tory MP in election battleground

26 September 2023 , 09:16

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James Cracknell will fight the seat of Colchester in Essex (Image: Getty Images)

Olympic rowing champion James Cracknell will run as a Conservative candidate at the next general election.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist, 51, has been confirmed as the Tory candidate in Colchester, Essex, where local MP Will Quince is standing down. He now faces a battle to hold onto the swing constituency, as the Conservatives trail in the polls and surveys suggest Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be dumped out of No10.

Paul Dundas, the Conservative group leader in Colchester, predicted success for the top athlete in the seat. The Conservatives currently hold a 9,423-vote majority over Labour in the constituency. The seat was held by the Lib Dems from 1997 to 2015.

Mr Dundas congratulated Cracknell and said he had topped a long list of applicants. He said: "James was the clear choice of members. I think he will be a fantastic candidate and a great MP for Colchester. He will win because he is a guy who doesn't do losing."

Cracknell and his coxless four crew won gold in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic games. He has long been linked with the Conservatives, with multiple reports over the years that the sportsman was seeking a Tory seat. In 2014 he stood to be an MEP for the party in the European elections in South West England.

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Ben Glaze