Eddie Izzard addresses claim she’ll run on Labour all-women shortlist: ‘I’ve never asked for this’
Eddie Izzard has addressed misinformation about her campaign to become a Labour MP amid anti-trans backlash.
Izzard announced in October she is running to become the Labour candidate for Sheffield, having previously been open about her political ambitions.
Before Izzard officially declared, “gender critical” Labour MP Rosie Duffield said she would leave the party if the comedian and actor was, hypothetically, selected on an all-women shortlist.
There has since been baseless speculation within anti-trans circles that Izzard will appear on such a shortlist.
In a statement posted on social media on Monday (24 October), Izzard confirmed that she won’t be seeking such a nomination.
“I personally have never asked and have never been offered a place on an all-woman shortlist,” Izzard wrote.
“This has been a position that I have held since I joined the Labour Party in 1995. I have never changed my position on this and never asked anyone to change the position for me now.”
She continued: “In the two weeks since I announced I was running, I have been amazed by the wonderful reaction I have had from people across Sheffield – of all different ages, all different faiths, all different backgrounds and all different wings of the party.
Let me be clear: pic.twitter.com/YZJerRILZi
— Eddie Izzard for Brighton Pavilion (@EddieIzzardLab) October 24, 2022
“We are building something special in Sheffield and it isn’t because I’m a comedian, or because I’m trans, or because I’m an actor.
“It is because I have a vision for Sheffield that I want to deliver and people know I will work as hard as I have worked all my life to make this positive change happen.”
Facts are important, says Eddie Izzard
Eddie Izzard said she knew her candidacy would be “questioned by a few”, adding that debate is “good and it’s healthy in a democracy”.
She continued: “But so are facts. I am trans but I am not seeking to be selected on an all-women shortlist.
“My selection would prove once more that when the dial goes further towards justice and equality in our country, it is because of the actions of the Labour Party and our brilliant members.”
Labour leader Keir Starmer was grilled on the subject on LBC on Monday (24 October), explaining that all-women shortlists could be scrapped entirely at the next election as Labour has reached its target of having 50 per cent female candidates.