FORMER St John Deputy Phil Rondel (pictured) is making a political comeback.

The former plumber has announced that he will stand for Deputy in St John — the seat he held from 1994 to 2005. His announcement follows the news that the current Deputy, Assistant Home Affairs Minister Andrew Lewis, will not be standing for re-election.

Mr Rondel (62) stepped down three years ago for family reasons, but says that he is delighted to be able to put his name forward again and that he has the full support of his family behind him.

‘Having had many parishioners and indeed Islanders asking me to allow my name to go forward in recent months for both Senator and Deputy, I have great pleasure in confirming that I shall be standing once again for Deputy of St John,’ he said.

‘I believe that with my experience and the fact that I have both the time and energy to commit to the position I still have a lot to offer the parish.’