Barack Obama's former brother-in-law and father of the US President's niece wants to become an MP in the wake of the expenses scandal, he announced yesterday.
Ian Manners, 56, who is divorced from Auma Obama with whom he has a daughter Akinyi, 11, will seek to succeed Andrew Mackay, the MP in Bracknell, who last week decided to step down at the next General Election after he and his wife, fellow Tory backbencher Julie Kirkbride, faced criticism for claiming taxpayer-funded allowances for two second homes.
Mr Manners, a lifelong Conservative, wants to take up David Cameron's invitation for people from a non-political background to stand as Tory candidates.
"This is not a gimmick. I am determined to stand and, if I'm honest, know I'd do better than most of the current crop," declared Mr Manners.
"They are an absolute disgrace and the public has shown it will no longer tolerate their avarice, arrogance and warped belief that they're a class apart when it comes to following rules," he added.
The Berkshire businessman is a former golfing partner of Mr Obama and once revealed how in 1997 the future president joined him on a pub crawl before his wedding, which Mr Obama attended.
The President's stepmother, Kezia, a bingo-loving 66-year-old also lives in the constituency and earlier this year travelled to Washington to attend the inauguration party. She was married to Mr Obama's father, also called Barack, when they lived in Kenya.
Mr Manners added: "If I can bring even an ounce of the magic Barack has sprinkled over The White House in Bracknell, I will really have achieved something."
From here.
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