The former England footballer Sol Campbell has refused to rule out standing for the Conservatives in the London seat being vacated by Sir Malcolm Rifkind.

The former defender, who played for Tottenham and Arsenal in the capital, has been courted by the party and recently had lunch with the party chairman, Grant Shapps, amid suggestions he could run for mayor.

Asked if he would seek to be selected for Kensington following Rifkind’s decision to retire amid a cash-for-access controversy, Campbell told Sky News’s Murnaghan programme: “Step by step. I think about a lot of things.”

The sports star backed David Cameron’s promise of an in-out referendum on UK membership of the EU as long as voters are fully informed.

“It’s about going in there and getting the facts and figures and making sure the British people know what’s happening,” he said.

“I look at the eurozone and I look at Germany – the only reason that Germany loves the euro is because they make so much money, because the mark was so expensive.”