Blur drummer Dave Rowntree loses bid to become UK member of parliament

Dave Rowntree, drummer of Blur, has failed to become a member of the United Kingdom’s parliament.

Rowntree stood for the centrist Labour Party in the Mid Sussex district, a previously established conservative fortress.

The seat went to the Liberal Democrats, another centrist party, which unseated the Tories for the first time since the constituency was established in 1974.

Rowntree won roughly 17% of the vote, compared to first-place Alison Elizabeth Bennett’s 39% vote share.

In the United Kingdom, Labour swept to victory, taking power for the first time since 2010.

Rowntree won his first local election in 2017, earning a seat on Norwich County Council, but stood down in 2021, referring to restriction responsibilities during the pandemic and lockdown.

“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 ideas, 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,” he said, announcing his national government run.

The Britpop outfit went on hiatus until the release of their ninth album, The Ballad of Darren, which was released in 2023.

During the band's second week at their Coachella performance on 20 April 2024, frontman Damon Albarn said it was probably the band's final show. In early May 2024, it was announced that July will see the release of a new documentary titled To the End.

Labour leader Keir Starmer is to be appointed prime minister later today after a dramatic landslide victory for the Labour Party, which saw former Prime Minister Liz Truss and other high-profile Conservatives, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, lose their seats.