Simms not pursuing Liberal leadership

Liberal MP Scott Simms announced that he is not pursuing the provincial Liberal leadership bid, following speculation in January that party organizers had approached him about the position.

Simms was a guest on this week's On Point with David Cochrane to discuss the rumours about his interest in the job.

However, he took the opportunity to announce that he will not be pursuing the party leadership.

"I thought that this would be a good opportunity for me to further my career, to lead the party," Simms said.

"But, at the same time, to lead the party, you also have to consider, you have to get to the end zone... because you have to become premier of the province."

Simms said the decision ended up being a personal one.

"I didn't put a team together; I didn't assemble a financial end of it," he said.

"What I said was I will entertain the idea – I spoke to a few people about the possibility, and then I took stock about where I was in life."

Watch the full interview during Saturday's episode of On Point with David Cochrane at 7:30 p.m. Newfoundland time.