Who says politics can’t be a bit rock ‘n’ roll? Dave Rowntree, who has been the drummer with Blur since the late 1980s, was selected as Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for the 2024 General Election earlier this week.
‘All the people, so many people’ could see Blur drummer in Parliament
Swapping Blair for Blur, Labour will hope that Rowntree’s star power boosts their campaign to unseat the Tories in government. He is running for the Mid-Sussex constituency, which is currently held by Mims Davies of the Conservative Party.
The drummer has been politically active throughout his time in Blur, first running for office in 2010. His bid to become the MP for the Cities of London and Westminster fell flat, but was successfully nominated as a Labour County Councillor in 2017.
He spent four years serving Norfolk’s university ward, before stepping down in 2021 due to ‘personal reasons’. Should he be elected as an MP this time around, it is yet to be confirmed whether he can remain in the band.
‘Universal’ acclaim? Labour turns to Britpop legend in Mid-Sussex
His political campaigns include joining the push for an alternative to Brexit. Rowntree previously argued that the decision to leave the European Union back in 2016 has had a catastrophic impact on the UK’s music industry.
Upon accepting the nomination on Wednesday, the prospective MP lashed out at the Tories for ‘running out of ideas’ and claimed that the Liberal Democrats had lost their momentum. As far as Rowntree is concerned, it really, really, really could happen…
“Residents have their best chance in a generation to make their vote count. The Tories have run out of ideas, the Lib Dems have run out of steam. I’m running for parliament to provide the energy and vision the area so desperately needs.” | Dave Rowntree