Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has announced that he intends to stand as the Labour candidate at the forthcoming local council election in the Marylebone High Street ward of Westminster in London.

In a video interview Rowntree said, “I’ve been a long-standing member of the Labour party and active in local politics for a while.

“I’m a Westminster resident and in my experience of living here, it all looks lovely - there are hanging baskets everywhere - but you only need to scratch beneath the surface and see that there’s a lot of deprivation and a lot of inequality around. I think someone needs to do something about it.”

The drummer will stand against Stuart Bonar (Lib Dem), Colin Merton (UKIP) and Ian Rowley (Conservative), none of whom play the drums. This fact may not give Rowntree the advantage as Marylebone is historically a Conservative area.

Watch Dave Rowntree’s interview on YouTube