Mark Latham planning return to politics: Reports

Former Labor leader Mark Latham is reportedly planning a political comeback – a move that would likely ruffle more than a few feathers in Canberra.

Liberal Democrat leader David Leyonhjelm told AAP he was conducting on-going talks with Latham and if the one-time journalist did join the party, he would likely run in either a NSW or Federal election — or both.

“There’s a very high chance he’ll be running for us somewhere at either a NSW or federal election, or possibly both,” Senator Leyonhjelm told AAP on Saturday.

“He’s also on a political journey bringing him pretty close to the position and principles of the Liberal Democrats.”

Latham has been teasing his possible return to Canberra for the past week, a somewhat surprising move given he wrote in his now-infamous book The Latham Diaries that his experience in politics was “so bad, it helped me move on straight away, to make a clean break”.

The 57-year-old vowed to retreat from the limelight when he quit as Labor leader in 2005, but he has hardly remained quiet. He enjoyed a brief stint as a 60 Minutes reporter, and regularly appears on television as a political commentator, drumming up controversy with his critical views of Left-leaning media.

Latham told Sunrise on Friday that he has so far been approached by four political parties and asked to join their ranks, although he refused to name them.
He refused to reveal which parties.

“They want to be associated with me, they should have their privacy defended,” he said.

When asked if reports that Pauline Hanson had asked him to replace embattled Senator Brian Burston, Latham refused to either confirm or deny.

Read more: Pauline Hanson fights back tears on TV

“I have given you as much information as I can, in all fairness,” he said, then teased a bit more about how “flattering” he found it.

“I’ve got these people all over me.”

If Latham does join the Liberal Democrats he’ll be turning his back on some of the Labor policies he trumpeted in the past. The party stands for low taxes, small government, and individual responsibility — al in stark contrast to Labor’s more socialist values.

While talk of a Latham comeback has got Canberra talking, Leyonhjelm has warned voters not to get too excited yet, saying Latham “enjoys winding up the media,” and it’s possible the entire media storm around his return could simply be “good sport”.

What are your thoughts on a Mark Latham comeback? Are you a fan or would you rather he stayed out of politics?