More than ten years on from his shock decision not to stand for a third term as Hove MP, Ivor Caplin is back on the campaign trail in support of his long-term friend Peter Kyle.

His victory in 1997 was famously celebrated by Tony Blair as the seat which confirmed his landslide victory.

But Mr Caplin is less certain that regaining the Hove seat for Labour will spark similar celebrations this time around.

He said: “Every election is different and what happened in 1997 we are not likely to see again in the near future, and you could put 1979 on the same basis.

“Politics is different today but I think what Peter has done in Hove and Portslade is create a feeling very similar to the one I did in ‘97 and I hope on May 7 people will support him as I hope they will support Nancy and Purna.

“I think it will be difficult in this election when things are so tight.

“I think even if we win Hove, I don’t think anybody will be pumping their fists immediately. We will have to look at the results to see what happens next.”

Mr Caplin has been hitting the streets in support of the impressive Labour machine in Hove and has even joined Twitter to spread the message, working on perfecting the campaign team selfie on a daily basis.

He said: “Unlike the last election when I was more engaged with the national party, I have been able to dedicate more of my time here which is what he wanted me to do. I am very happy to be out and about supporting his campaign.”

An MP for eight years and a fervent campaigner and follower of Brighton and Hove Albion, Mr Caplin is a well-known face around the city and recognised on the doorstep.

He said: “Somebody said to me the other day ‘Hi Ivor, haven’t seen you for ages’ and that was very nice, it’s nice that that still happens.

“I’m pleased that people are pleased to see me. One or two people have mentioned Iraq.

“But that was a long time ago and it’s not significant in this election at all.”

As well as being cautiously optimistic about the party’s chances of emulating the clean sweep of Brighton and Hove seats in 1997, Mr Caplin is hopeful for gains for Labour on the city council – but believes a majority administration may be out of reach.

He said: “Of the people who I have spoken to across the city some are pretty fed up with the Green administration.

“I think what Warren Morgan has done well and what the Labour Group has done is put forward a very positive vision for the next four years.

“We needed to show people, as we did in the 1990s and early part of the 2000s, that we were the party with the vision for Brighton and Hove and I think we have done that.

“I think we could become the biggest party come May 9 which would be a great achievement for Warren Morgan and the team if they could effectively come from third to first.”

Former Hove MP Ivor Caplin may be back on the campaign trail - but he has no desire to return to local politics.

The 56-year-old who was a Hove Borough Councillor before making history as Hove’s first Labour MP in 1997 said he had no regrets over his shock announcement to stand down made in 2004 and no wish to return to public office.

He said: “No I don’t miss it at all, I’m very happy to leave all that to Peter and the great group of council candidates.

“I became a councillor from 1991 so it was effectively 15 years of public service.

“I really enjoy being part of the campaign, doing what I can for the party, but no I don’t miss it.

“There’s lots of stuff that Peter will have to get used to.

“I’ve been there and done that and I’m not going back to it.”

The sudden announcement in November 2004 that Mr Caplin would not stand in the following year’s election caught even his own party by surprise.

It prompted speculation about why the well-respected MP, who quickly rose to a ministerial post, would give it all up.

He said: “The reasons have been reasonably well documented. I had to consider there would be a change of leadership with Labour if I had stayed.

“I felt that the constituency could do with a fresh pair of eyes.

“We are in an era seeing shorter political lives than some of the older members of the House of Commons and I had other ventures I wanted to explore.”

Mr Caplin’s resignation was seen as an opportunity for the Conservatives to win back Hove, but in the end his replacement Celia Barlow narrowly managed to hang on to the seat for five more years before the Conservatives took control in 2010.

Peter Kyle is now favourite to regain it for Labour but Mr Caplin is certainly not taking anything for granted.

And he is cautious about offering the 2015 candidate any advice on living with the expectation and demands of being an MP, or the prospects Mr Kyle could follow in his footsteps into a ministerial role.

He said: “I think in any election, party political people will always be cautious about what might be the outcome, even back in 1997 we were cautious in that campaign.

“I have known Peter for a long time and I was really delighted when he got selected as parliamentary candidate.

“I would be delighted if Peter Kyle is successful on May 7 and I really hope he will be and I would be the first to congratulate him on achieving office with Labour, I think it would be great for the people of Hove and Portslade.”

The end of Mr Caplin’s time as Hove MP saw him besieged by Iraq War protesters angry at his support for the invasion as a defence minister.

Hove Action For Peace supporters would gather outside his weekly surgeries and tried to get him to accept a petition of residents opposed to the controversial invasion.

He said: “I think most people who work in a responsible position will understand that you have to do that job and carry out your duties to the best of your abilities.

“That’s what I did. Some people say with hindsight I should say this and this but I don’t. I stand by what I said and did at the time.

“If we go back to 2003/4, it was a difficult time and my role was to support British troops in action – that is what the MoD is about.

“People have every right to demonstrate and I have the right to carry out my professional duties to the best of my ability.”

In his post-Parliament life, Mr Caplin has remained in the public eye with national newspaper stories into his private life and questioning his use of MoD contacts in his new consultancy work.

Mr Caplin emphasises that he is not a lobbyist but owns his own company that looks after the interests of a number of firms including Sodexo and has recently spent time as head of English UK representing English Language Schools.

In 2010, he was listed among hundreds of former MPs required to pay back expenses claimed during office following an audit.

Mr Caplin stood his ground against an initial claim to repay almost £18,000 and was vindicated six years after leaving Parliament, when the total was reduced to just £1,000.

He said: “Sir Thomas Legg got it all wrong as was made clear and Sir Paul Kennedy made clear it was a different amount of money.

“Sir Paul said he would not expect a government minister in the MoD at a time of war to be aware of minimal changes in interest rates.”

Despite some of this unwelcome publicity, Mr Caplin said his political legacy should be judged in the bricks and mortar of Hove which he helped to reshape during his 15 years of political service.

He campaigned vigorously for the construction of the American Express Community Stadium as well as the demolition and regeneration of Portland Gate, the pedestrianisation of George Street, and the replacement of council housing on the Knoll Estate, some of which still had outside toilets when they were demolished.

He said: “For me, my political legacy I can see when I walk around the city.

“If I’m going to look at my legacy, it’s not with national stuff but these things that affected people’s lives, changed them for the better.

“That’s where I see my legacy.”