Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s ousted former prime minister and once one of his country’s richest men, says he is spending his days “kicking around the streets of London” and planning to raise the game of his newly acquired football team, Manchester City.

In an exclusive interview with the Financial Times, the former telecommunications mogul insisted he had no desire to return to active politics, saying he was “relieved” that he no longer had to worry “what should I do for my people, for my country”.