Glastonbury moving to Hackney Marshes? Labour MP Gareth Thomas wants festival in London in 2023

It is one of the most prestigious music events around the world. But if one London mayoral candidate has his way, Glastonbury could soon have a new home.

Gareth Thomas, the MP for Harrow West, wants the famed festival moved 140 miles east to the capital, if London wins a bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2023.

Speaking to the Independent, the politician joked that London mud was "even more refined" than that of the 900-acre site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, and believes the move would guarantee music lovers flock to the capital in their droves.

Thomas suggests Epping Forest (6,000 acres) or Hackney Marshes (340 acres) could be potential venues for the festival, which for 2015 featured headline performances from Kanye West, Florence and the Machine and The Who.

Moving Glastonbury to the capital is just one of the many ways Thomas hopes to stimulate investment in struggling boroughs. He also want to introduce a series of "pop-ups which could be given names such as Tate Croydon or the Royal Academy Havering".

He said: "London is already well-served by major cultural institutions in the centre, but outer London has had a lot more pressure on arts funding and arts venues. There is a huge amount of artistic talent in London.

"And as part of the overall bid why not bring Glastonbury to London for one year to help anchor the year of arts and culture. We know the mud of Glastonbury is high quality – the mud of outer London is even more refined than Glastonbury."

Meanwhile, a major clean-up operation is under way at Glastonbury as more than 177,000 people made their way home after the biggest party of the summer.

Revellers have until 5pm on Tuesday (30 June) to leave Worthy Farm, with crew and stall holders given a week to tidy up.