ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

Morrissey might be running for London Mayor

A rush and a push and the job is his

Morrissey might be running for London Mayor

Yes Mozzer, that's pretty much the face we made when we heard the news too.

Legendary singer Morrissey has suggested that he might be running for London Mayor, taking on the current frontrunners Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith in the upcoming elections, due to take place on 5 May this year.

But before all you Smiths fans start getting too excited at the prospect of outgoing Mayor Boris Johnson handing over the keys to the city to the Mozzfather, it's unlikely he'd stand any chance of winning; rather he would use the platform to raise awareness of animal welfare, a cause close to his heart, as evidenced by his many public statements, and immortalised in song via The Smiths' 1985 track Meat Is Murder.

The True to You website, a fan site which the singer often uses to make public pronouncements, revealed that he has been asked by the Animal Welfare Society to enter the race in order to raise publicity for their cause.

Describing animal welfare as "the number on issue stifled from any political debate", he wrote: "Animal welfare groups cannot persist simply in order to continue to persist. There must be a governmental voice against the hellish and archaic social injustice allotted to animals in the United Kingdom simply because those animals do not speak English, otherwise millions of very caring citizens are greatly concerned about issues that no one is able to do anything about. What animal protectionists need to say is very well worth saying and well worth hearing. But we cannot just sit around waiting for establishment enlightenment."

He continued, pulling no punches: "What makes such people have absolutely no forgiveness towards animals? What hate drives them? The meat industry, after all, shows no compassion towards the planet, towards climate change, towards animals, towards human health. It is diabolically contrived and is the world's number one problem. It is also the number one issue stifled from any political debate, which, if anything, highlights its importance. The slaughterhouse effectively means that none of us are safe. Just investigate the appalling effects of meat production on our climate, environment, fields, forests, lakes, streams, seas, air and space. Your eyes will pop. No bigger global disaster could possibly be devised. Social justice for animals is not much to demand, because we are only asking humans to think rationally and with heart, even if being unable to hunt foxes and shoot birds would leave the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha family with nothing else to do.

He also criticised celebrity chef Jamie Oliver for recommending that people eat "kid meat" (young goat). He stated that the chef is an "animal serial killer" and asked whether he would "consider putting forth one of his own kids for general consumption."

Morrissey only needs 330 signatures to make him eligible for the ballot - would you vote for him?