Chris French, owner of The Mitre pub in Richmond, London, has taken an unconventional step by registering his pub as a political party and nominating himself as the
sole candidate for Richmond Park in the upcoming General Election. His motivation? Free advertising on 77,000 ballot papers.
French, 47, who has owned The Mitre for over eight years, explained his reasoning to the PA news agency: "Our little pub in Richmond is a gem, but many locals are unaware of its existence despite living here for decades. This led me to think about how to reach people, and about a year ago, I realized that registering for election candidacy would give me free publicity through the ballot papers."
Despite not expecting to unseat sitting MP Sarah Olney of the Liberal Democrats, French remains optimistic about securing at least one vote - his own. "I’ll be voting for myself, so at least I'll definitely get one vote," he quipped, adding humorously, "If I only get one vote, it might be quite a frosty evening. Hopefully, I’ll get two votes."
When asked about his pub's hypothetical manifesto, French joked, "Maybe close down all other pubs in Richmond, reduce beer duty at The Mitre to one penny, and hike it up to 50 pence everywhere else."
French expressed his hope to receive at least 5% of the vote, which would allow him to reclaim the £500 deposit required from candidates. "It’s a small business, and £500 is a lot of money," he emphasized.
Despite his candidacy, French clarified that he is apolitical and more interested in music and football than politics. His partner, Gillian Craigie, supports his candidacy wholeheartedly, despite the occasional "crazy idea" from him.
As word spreads about his candidacy, locals have shown positive responses. French concluded, "People are starting to find out, and they love the idea. It’s been all positive; not a single word of negativity."
Ultimately, French's goal is to boost his pub's business. "If it gets an extra two people through the door, I’m happy," he remarked.
When asked if he encourages people to vote for him on July 4, French humorously replied, "I’d rather they come down and start spending some money in the pub than vote for me, to be honest." Photo by themitretw9.co.uk