She will be replaced by the comedian Eddie Izzard, who was previously defeated in a bid for a seat on the NEC in January. In a statement, Shawcroft said: “It has been a privilege to serve on the Labour party national executive committee for the last 19 years, and I was standing down in September in any event. Izzard, a long-time Labour supporter whose candidacy was backed by the party’s centre-left, urged Corbyn at the time to “keep his eye on the prize, the election”. She made a serious error of judgement, but parties that hope to form governments must expect to be held to higher standards. I campaigned with Eddie Izzard against the BNP in Barking and I welcome him to the NEC.”Actor Tony Robinson also gave his backing, saying that Izzard was “a free spirit”.

Source: The Guardian March 31, 2018 19:27 UTC