Eddie Izzard was not chosen as a Labour candidate for the upcoming general election, marking her second unsuccessful attempt at securing the role of MP for the party.
The 61-year-old comedian and activist, who initially came out as transgender in 1985, had aspirations to run as the Labour candidate for Brighton Pavilion. However, he was defeated by fellow activist and musician, Tom Gray.
Last year she failed to be selected as the Labour candidate for Sheffield Central. She had promised to fight for a “passion-driven creative education system”, increase the supply of affordable homes, secure more money for the NHS and champion mental health if she was selected.
Caroline Lucas, who has been serving as the Green Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion for a long time, intends to retire at the upcoming election. The Labour party is aiming to win the seat.
Gray, a British songwriter and composer who has won the Mercury prize, posted on X that he was “delighted and humbled” to be selected as the Labour candidate, and thanked Izzard and the other potential candidates for showing “solidarity and integrity” during the contest.
During the month of January, Izzard will be starring as Hamlet in a solo performance in New York for a five-week run. However, this schedule drew criticism from former Brighton councillor Caroline Penn during the campaign. In a tweet, Penn stated: “It is not feasible to lead a parliamentary campaign while spending three months in New York for a one-person show.”
Izzard informed Brighton and Hove News that she would withdraw from the race if chosen as the candidate and if the election was scheduled before April. If not, she plans to campaign through Zoom and phone calls.
She stated to the newspaper: “Once I am chosen, I will dedicate my full time to overturning the 20,000 Green majority in Brighton Pavilion and will relocate to Brighton in order to accomplish this.”
Source: theguardian.com
