Meet all the candidates hoping to be Sheffield Central’s next Labour MP

Three candidates are vying to be the Labour candidate for the Sheffield Central constituency. Sheffield Central is one of the safest Labour seats in the country, and whoever becomes the Labour candidate is almost guaranteed to be the next MP.

This constituency covers much of Sheffield’s centre. For students living in Crookesmoor and the City Centre, this contest will decide their next MP.

We spoke to some of the hopeful candidates, here’s everything you need to know about them:

Eddie Izzard

via YouTube

After spending decades in the public eye, comedian Eddie Izzard has raised over £4 million for charity and acted as a UNICEF ambassador.

Sheffield made Eddie feel welcome as a student, and she came out as transgender in 1985: She told The Tab: “The first city I ever chose to live in was Sheffield, the people of Sheffield made me feel welcome”.

Eddie wants “to be a loud voice in parliament” if she becomes Sheffield Central’s next MP, with a goal of fighting for the NHS “every day, all day”.

In regards to what she would do for students, Eddie said: “Anything that students want to do, I want to encourage them to shoot for the stars”.

Rizwana Lala

via YouTube

Rizwana Lala is a trade union activist, and lecturer at the University of Sheffield. She was also the Operational Lead for Test and Trace during the pandemic.

Rizwana told The Tab how her time in Sheffield has been important in her life and political development after moving here in 2009.

She said: “I’ve had a lot of experiences in this city and Sheffield is the place where I became a lot more politicised”.

She then continued to talk about enacting change in Sheffield: “I want to build the Labour movement in Sheffield, [we need to] connect our struggles and unite together in a much more coherent voice.”

Rizwana backs the abolition of tuition fees and works on widening participation for people of all backgrounds at the University of Sheffield.

Abtisam Mohamed

via YouTube

Born and raised in Sheffield, Abtisam Mohamed left school with four GCSEs. She later qualified as a teacher and lawyer, before becoming a member of the Sheffield City Council.

Jayne Dunn

via YouTube

Jayne Dunn is a small business owner and single mum. She has been a member of Sheffield City Council for a decade and spent six years as a city council cabinet member for housing, education, and skills.

Candidates Abtisam Mohamed and Jayne Dunn were contacted for comment but provided no response.

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