Cameron fails to persuade Gough to try for seat

The Prime Minister phoned the ex-Yorkshire and England bowler to talk to him about becoming the Conservative candidate in his home town but Gough turned down the approach.

Although he is well known as a Conservative sympathiser and a good friend of Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams, who is running the Tory by-election campaign, Gough is not a member of the party but has agreed to campaign before voters go to the polls on March 3 in the seat vacated by Eric Illsley.

Last night the Conservatives named their candidate as James Hockney, who fought the neighbouring seat of Barnsley East in last year’s general election.

Mr Hockney said that if elected he would “passionately fight for jobs, investment and a brighter future for the community”, although the seat has never been lost by Labour and Illsley had built up a majority of more than 11,000.

Describing him as an “outstanding candidate”, Conservative chairman Baroness Warsi said: “Our campaign here is under way, we are out listening to voters in the constituency, and I am looking forward to campaigning alongside James.”

The Tories revealed David Cameron personally phoned Gough to talk to him about standing, saying he thought it was a great idea.

But the popular star, who won TV’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, decided that his other commitments such as a daily radio show made him too busy to be an MP.

During the general election, Gough appeared in a video backing Mr Adams’s campaign for the Selby seat, describing himself as “the most unlikely Conservative”.

A Tory spokesman said: “We are delighted that Darren will be campaigning for the Conservatives during the by-election, but his other commitments meant he can’t actually be the candidate.”

Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls campaigned in the seat for Labour yesterday alongside their candidate Dan Jarvis, while British National Party supporters gathered outside Southwark Crown Court for Illsley’s appearance with their banners.