Benn in comeback bid

The former Labour minister, who stood down from his Chesterfield seat in 2001, said he wants to be the party's candidate for the safe Conservative seat of Kensington in west London.

If successful, there could be three generations of one family in parliament. His son, Hillary, is the international development secretary, and his 17-year-old granddaughter, Emily, is Labour's candidate for East Worthing and Shoreham in West Sussex.

Mr Benn said today: "There's a general election on the way and Kensington is looking for a candidate. I've written to them to see if I can stand.

"If they would like me to stand I would like to be there. I'm not sure if I would be selected but I'd like to do it. I don't think my age would be a problem."

He said: "I believe in peace, not taxing students with enormous loans and securing a referendum on the EU."

Kensington is a new constituency created by boundary changes since the 2005 general election.

Mr Benn - who has an aristocratic background and an Oxford education - first entered parliament at the age of 25 and held a succession of ministerial posts under Harold Wilson and James Callaghan in the 1960s and 1970s. He represented Bristol South East for 31 years and then held the seat of Chesterfield from 1984 to 2001.

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