Giant 7ft 2in wannabe Prime Minister James McAlpine has dubbed The Never Ending Tory by the Daily Star and says the entrances to corridors of power will be a political headache
Towering Tory boy James McAlpine is on a mission to increase the height of the doors at Westminster – and in No10.
The giant 7ft 2in wannabe Prime Minister, dubbed The Never Ending Tory by the Daily Star, says the entrances to corridors of power will be his biggest political headache if he manages to climb to the top in Parliament.
He told us: “For almost my whole life, I have been craning down and stooping over to avoid banging my head on doors. It will be the same story if I get voted into Parliament, or hopefully 10 Downing Street.
“So, my first order of business if I get to lead this nation will be to order the doors heightened across the corridors of power.”
James, 22, stressed he feels the cost of doing so is justified as it is technically a “disability and diversity” issue.
He added: “I am aware the country is on its knees economically, but any spending on making those doors higher will only allow me to run the country better.”
Medics have highlighted the physical and mental pressures on super-lanky folk who have to constantly duck doorways.
Boffins say it can lead to a string of potentially catastrophic conditions for giants, including the development of a permanent stoop or chronically poor posture – known as kyphosis and lordosis.
A lifetime of trying to fit into a world designed for shorter individuals can also cause stress, anxiety, more force on joints and circulatory issues.
This is on top of the fact extremely tall folk are more vulnerable to cancers, blood clots and bone fractures – as well as having a potentially shorter average life expectancy.
The Daily Star “discovered” James when we spotted him towering over attendees at this year’s Tory party conference in Manchester.
After we told of his ambitions to become a councillor, MP – and then PM – he went viral online and ended up having a chat with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at the event.
He also recently stooped into Daily Star’s HQ to dwarf our editorial team and tell how he is “dreaming big” when it comes to his political ambitions.
James – who was forced to move schools after bullies stabbed him with pencils due to his extreme height – said when we asked if he saw himself as a future PM: “I think so. Dream high – dream big. I know what I want and I can get what I want.”
The skyscraping Oxford Brookes student, who we revealed is dating 5ft 8in tall blonde student Tilly, 18, from London, is officially Britain’s tallest politician.
If James gets into Westminster, he will knock the world’s current tallest politician off his podium. That honour belongs to US Republican member Jon Godfread, who stands at just over 6ft 10in. The tallest Tory on record before James was Polish-born former MP Daniel Kawczynski, who is more than 6ft 8in.
Medically, someone is considered a giant once they hit 7ft in height.
Mr Kawczynski also complained doorways were one of his biggest irks, and renovated his home to have ultra-high entrances to stop him banging his head.
He wrote to former Deputy PM John Prescott to urge him to consider reviewing legislation which stipulates doors in new houses across Britain must be 6ft 8in tall. But man mountain James will be the first politician to tackle renovating the doors in Parliament and No10.
In the UK, the most common standard height for internal and external entrances in England and Wales is 6ft 6in. In Scotland and newer metric-build properties, the standard height is often slightly taller at 6ft 8in.
There is no single average height for all doorways within the diverse and historic Palace of Westminster, which houses the UK Parliament.
The building dates back in parts to the 19th century and earlier, so door sizes vary significantly depending on the specific location and the time of construction or renovation.
Many visitors have moaned about the shortness of the entrances in less prominent sections of the building.