Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard is planning to stand for UK parliament
By Issy Ronald, CNN
(CNN) — Comedian and activist Eddie Izzard has announced on social media that she is hoping to stand as a member of parliament at the UK’s next general election.
Izzard, who is also known as Suzy Eddie Izzard, said on her website that she is standing to be selected as the opposition Labour Party’s candidate for the Brighton Pavilion seat in southeast England, “to support this brilliant city and its diverse and vibrant community.”
The Green Party’s Caroline Lucas has held the seat for 13 years but said in June that she would step down at the next general election. An election is widely expected to be held next year.
Izzard has long been a public supporter and member of the Labour Party, alongside her decades-long career in film and television. She is best known for her appearances in the “Ocean’s 11” films and NBC’s “Hannibal” series, in addition to her stand-up comedy work.
She is also known for completing a series of extreme marathon challenges to raise money for charity, including running 29 marathons in 29 days in 28 different countries.
This isn’t Izzard’s first foray into parliamentary politics. Last year, she reached the shortlist to be nominated as the Labour candidate for the northern English constituency of Sheffield Central but ultimately lost out to Abtisam Mohamed.
On her website, Izzard said that, if elected, she would increase funding and resources for schools, promote eco-friendly transportation, work to secure more funding in housing infrastructure, champion mental health services and build stronger ties between law enforcement and local communities.
She added: “It will take practical action – not protest – to fix what’s broken, and to win this seat, Labour needs a candidate that can inspire many thousands to become our friends and allies in the fight for a fairer-greener-cleaner planet.”
The Green Party announced in July that Sian Berry, a former co-leader of the party, had been selected as its candidate to replace Lucas as an MP.
The-CNN-Wire
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