4 months ago
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Suzy Eddie Izzard has failed in her bid to become Labour's candidate for Brighton Pavilion at the next general election.
The stand-up comedian, 61, was beaten by music industry activist Tom Gray, The Argus reports, marking the second time that she has been defeated in her attempts to stand as an MP.
Izzard, who identifies as a gender-fluid trans woman, failed to be selected as Labour's candidate in Sheffield Central last year, while she also unsuccessfully ran for selection as a Labour candidate for London Mayor.
In a social media video announcing her candidacy in August, Izzard had hailed Brighton as an 'open-minded' city that is 'welcoming to all' and pointed to her 'roots' in Sussex.
In May, Labour took overall control of the council, with the Greens losing 13 seats.
The current Brighton Pavilion MP is long-serving Green politician Caroline Lucas, who is standing down at the next general election.
Suzy Eddie Izzard has failed in her bid to become Labour's candidate for Brighton Pavilion at the next general election
Izzard has previously spoken about her gender-fluid identity and requests to be referred to with she/her pronouns.
Her previous bid to become a Labour candidate, in Sheffield Central, was marked by a furious 'transphobic' row.
Rosie Duffield, Labour MP for Canterbury, used a fringe event at the party's conference in Liverpool last year to threaten to quit the party if Izzard was allowed onto an all-women shortlist.
She also said: 'Eddie Izzard is not a woman.'
Izzard is a former member of Labour's ruling National Executive Committee and has previously flirted with a bid to become London mayor.
She spent part of her childhood in Bexhill-on-Sea, around 30 miles from Brighton on the South Coast.
Izzard introduced her new feminine name in March which she said she had wanted to use since she was 10 years old.
Eddie has used she/her pronouns since 2020, but 'doesn't mind' if people use him/her pronouns to address her.
She said: 'I'm Eddie. There's another name I'm going to add in as well, which is Suzy, which I wanted to be since I was 10. I'm going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard.'
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
