Spice up your life: Why doesn’t Geri Halliwell run for PM?

Of course Geri the Ginger Spice is a Tory! Erm, what gave it away? Is it that she’s an aspirational grammar school girl, with a fondness for Mrs Thatcher and donning the Union Jack in grand displays of patriotism?

What’s really amazing is that she isn’t a contender in the Tory leadership race. I’d probably have voted “Mrs Horner” if given the chance because – while back in the day a mixture of Sporty or Scary were my favourites – Geri is the one I’d probably most like to have grown up to be. This is not dissimilar to the “Oasis effect”, as I like to call it – younger me was obviously going to marry Liam Gallagher. Older me, however, realised the error of my ways and understood that it had always been Noel. In a similar way, I now realise that the Spice Girl who truly always had her head screwed on was Geri.

In a move that could now be termed “Gexit”, she took the opportunity to leave an organisation she’d outgrown and made a success of going it alone – and sod the naysayers. It was a courageous decision, and by her own admission she was lost for a bit – but it undeniably worked for her.

In fact, Geri should consider a political career. She has a backstory that would make Rishi Sunak look like a billionaire. Raised on a council estate and making her way in showbiz was not easy. Spells as a nightclub dancer and presenter on Turkish telly meant that she earned her stripes. She reaches her 50th birthday this week, looking like she’s in the best shape of her life, having been one-fifth of the most successful female music group of all time and through her career making a tidy sum of cash to boot.

This is classic Tory fare: of private success leading to the green benches. It would be an ideal next step in her life – not just appearing on the Pyramid stage at Glasto, but playing it too.

Perhaps this will be the positive result from the shaming she suffered on social media after having the temerity to hug the culture secretary at England’s historic Euro 2022 victory at Wembley. In frenzied posts she was denounced for being photographed in a friendly embrace with Nadine Dorries and told many times that she should be ashamed, so she’s at least got a taste of what it’s like to be a Tory candidate. Her home seat of Watford is already Conservative – but she’d be a shoo-in to secure the blue wall elsewhere.

Unfortunately, her endorsement (of sorts) of Liz Truss overshadowed Penny Mourdant’s – and may have earned her a first political enemy. Though you are nothing in politics without putting a few noses out of joint so maybe this was a tactical play? Team Truss must have been delighted, it’s not everyday a pop star of global standing tells you to “go for it”.

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Does it suggest that Geri may even have a vote in the leadership contest? Who knows if she’s a card carrying member or just a general supporter – either way, there’s no doubt that Girl Power will almost certainly exclude 50 per cent of the participants, and there may be just enough people who have watched Spice World (the movie) for it to matter in a Tory leadership contest.

After years of having Jim Davidson as the big Tory celebrity turn and a fleeting encounter with Gary Barlow, why can’t the world just let us have this? It is not shameful for anyone to hold a mainstream political view. We can disagree about solutions to our policy challenges, we can say we don’t like something that’s being proposed but we live in a free society where being bullied for your political beliefs should be a big no no. There is nothing wrong with holding Conservative views. So if you’re tempted to hold it against someone, don’t. Stop right now, thank you very much.

All Geri is guilty of is having a nice time at the football with senior Conservative politicians. She is perfectly entitled to celebrate a women’s football final at Wembley. And so what if she’s a Tory? It doesn’t take away a moment of pleasure any one of her musical numbers provided or the joy and heart she brought to Nineties Britain.