Dave Rowntree: Blur drummer selected as Labour election candidate for Mid Sussex

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has been selected as the parliamentary Labour candidate for Mid Sussex in the upcoming election.

Rowntree, 59, is set to battle for the Tory-held seat in Mid Sussex at the next election, with the hope of turning it red for the first time in the constituency's history. The famous drummer confirmed the decision on social media, saying in a post on X (formerly Twitter): "I'm absolutely thrilled to have been selected as the @UKLabour candidate for Mid Sussex! Now the work begins."

In a full statement, Rowntree said: "I'm delighted to have the opportunity to become Labour's first Mid Sussex MP. Residents have their best chance in a generation to make their vote count and return a Labour MP to parliament.

"The Tories have run out of idea, and the Lib Dems have run out of steam. I'm running for parliament to provide the energy and vision the area so desperately needs." The drummer, who has played with the famous Britpop band Blur since its formation, is no stranger to politics. Rowntree has already served as a Labour councillor for Norfolk County Council between 2017 and 2021.

The Mid Sussex seat is currently held by Tory MP Mims Davies, who serves in the government as a minister for Department of Work and Pensions. Historically a Conservative safe seat, Mid Sussex incorporates villages such as Burgess Hill and Haywards Heath.

Rowntree recently reunited with Blur bandmates Damon Albarn, Alex James and Graham Coxon for their first headline show since 2015, with a gig at Wembley Stadium in July 2023. The band went on to release their ninth album, The Ballad of Darren, around the same time, with the record becoming Blur's seventh number one album in the UK.