CLARETS fanatic and former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell has said he regrets not standing for election as an MP in Burnley.

Mr Campbell, 56, said supporters at Turf Moor had encouraged him to consider putting himself forward as a candidate.

He said his feelings were ‘complicated’ and that he had reservations about the lifestyle changes becoming an MP would bring about.

But the Keighley-born ex-journalist has indicated he will return to the political sphere to support Ed Miliband at the 2015 General Election.

Mr Campbell said his partner, Fiona Millar, was much closer to standing for Parliament than him, but changed her mind.

He said: “It’s one of those things . . . where I think I should have done Burnley. I should do more, but every now and again 'want' wins out over 'should'.

“She was well down the track, further down the track than I was, and to be honest, she was going to walk it, but she just woke up one morning and said, 'Why are we doing this?'

“Fiona’s now totally settled but my brain is more complicated . . . when I went to Burnley v Charlton, a couple of women at the reception said 'you've got to do it'.

“It makes me feel bad, all day. I sat watching the match thinking, 'They're right ... It would be great', but it's everything else that goes with it.

“How many people are in a position where they can say 'right, I'm going off to Scotland, then France, and then I'm going to sit outside in Islington and write all day?' Not many can do that. That freedom is very hard to give up.”

Mr Campbell told Total Politics that he was in regular contact with Mr Miliband, particularly regarding the Labour leader’s battle with Daily Mail editor Paul Dacre.

He said: "I talk to Ed a lot. I talked to him about his speech, the Dacre thing, you know. “He phones me a lot and so do some of the others.

“I will get involved, but I do have quite a nice life now.”