Blur drummer Dave Rowntree selected as Labour candidate ahead of general election

7 March 2024, 10:02 | Updated: 7 March 2024, 10:48

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has revealed he's set to stand as a Labour candidate at the next general election.

The Britpop legend can only hope he's not a 'charmless man' after being selected as the Labour candidate for Mid-Sussex.

Swapping chart battles for political battle, the musician said he is "absolutely thrilled" to be chosen to represent Labour in the southern constituency.

It comes as Jeremy Hunt today refused to rule out a May general election, but suggested an Autumn election a "working assumption".

Blur, famed for proudly proclaiming 'modern life is rubbish', has counted Rowntree as a mainstay since the bands formation in 1988.

Taking to X on Wednesday evening following the announcement, Rowntree said: "I'm absolutely thrilled to have been selected as the Labour candidate for Mid Sussex! Now the work begins."

A spokesperson for Mid-Sussex's Labour party said: "We think Dave will be an excellent and a very successful candidate."

"Dave vows to provide the energy and vision the area so desperately needs," they added.

Recent years have seen Colchester-born Rowntree flex his political muscles after becoming a Norfolk County Council councillor in 2017.

He was also an ardent opposer to Brexit, speaking publicly at events including the "Bollocks to Brexit" bus tour.

Read More: Jeremy Hunt refuses to rule out the possibility of a May general election

Read More: Budget at a glance: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announces National Insurance cut and alcohol and fuel duty freezes

Up until 2019, the Mid-Sussex seat was previously held by Sir Winston Churchill's grandson, Sir Nicholas Soames.

Soames held the seat from May 1997 until November 2019.

He's not the only musician to stand at the next general election, with Tom Gray of the rock band Gomez also selected as a Labour candidate, representing the nearby constituency of Brighton Pavilion.

In the 2019 general election, the Conservative Party won the Mid-Sussex seat after receiving 53.3 per cent of the votes, with Mims Davies selected as the representative MP.

Labour came second, drawing 17.9 per cent of the vote behind the Liberal Democrats who received 24.3 per cent.

This time around, Rowntree is set to face Kristy Adams, the prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservatives.

He will also face Liberal Democrat candidate Alison Bennett, alongside Deanna Nicholson of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of Reform UK.