BEXHILL actor, writer and comedian Eddie Izzard has confirmed he will be putting himself/herself forward as a candidate to secure the Labour nomination to contest the Brighton Pavilion constituency at the next General Election, which is widely expected to take place next year.
The 60-year-old, who prefers the pronouns she/her and also prefers to be known as Suzy, is bidding to replace Caroline Lucas, Britain’s only Green Party MP, who has confirmed she will be stepping down from Parliament at the election.
In a statement Izzard said: “I’m standing to be the next Labour MP for Brighton Pavilion, to support this brilliant city and its diverse and vibrant community.
“I’m just the latest in more than 200 years of Izzards in East Sussex and I’m proud of my roots. Whilst the Tories stoke fear and encourage culture wars, Brighton has shown the country another way; open-minded and welcoming to all, with a thriving arts creative and culture scene.
“It is imaginative, energetic and full of entrepreneurial spirit.”
Izzard then went on to criticise the Conservatives and the Greens, adding: “Labour needs a candidate that can inspire many thousands to become our friends and allies in the fight for a fairer, greener, cleaner planet.
“Reaching out and lifting people up is at the heart of my politics. I believe in making connections rather than breaking connections. So please join me… get in touch, get involved and let’s make Brighton Pavilion great again.”
The long-time political activist and fervent Labour supporter said key priorities will be a passion-driven, creative education system; fighting for cleaner energy by utilising solar panels and wind farms and building more homes that are of higher quality but less expensive plus high-quality healthcare for all.
Izzard’s initial bid to be selected as a Labour candidate failed after failing to secure the nomination for the Sheffield Central constituency.
Human rights lawyer Abtisam Mohamed was selected by members of the local constituency after winning 433 votes, while Eddie/Suzy finished as the runner-up, having accumulated 175 votes.
Mohamed called her selection the “honour of my life”. She will replace Paul Blomfield who will be standing down at the next General Election. At the last election he held a majority of 27,273 in the Labour stronghold.
The Bexhill star congratulated the winner on Twitter, writing: “She will make a fine MP and I look forward to campaigning with her in the months and years to come.”
The political activist’s campaign was mired in controversy due to several negative comments aired by some rivals.
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, Eddie/Suzy said there had been a “torrent of abuse” since the candidacy was announced.
That included a gender critical feminist taking a photo of Eddie using the women’s toilet at a campaign event, tweeting a caption which said: “Coming out of the ladies loo.”
To add to the furore, Lee Anderson, the MP for Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, was criticised in October last year when he said: “I would not follow him into the toilets if he became an MP.”
In addition, Rosie Duffield, the Labour MP for Canterbury in Kent, added fuel to the fire by saying she would rather be arrested then refer to Eddie as a woman.
In response, Eddie tweeted: “She has got to join the 21st century. She has got to catch up with the rest of us. The vast majority of the world is now moving forwards.”
Izzard adopted the “she” and “her” pronouns two years ago yet made it clear at the time that the terms “he and him” did not cause any undue offence.
Eddie was the only candidate on the shortlist who was not a resident of Sheffield.
