Rowntree is not the only musician standing in the next election; Labour is also hoping to draw on the rockstar power of Tom Gray, of the band Gomez, to win over the Brighton Pavilion constituency.
Essex-born Rowntree, who is also a trained lawyer, previously represented the party during his four years as a Norfolk County councillor.
He announced in 2021 he was standing down as councillor due to the Covid pandemic and the Conservative government’s handling of lockdown policies.
“The pandemic has made life very difficult for everyone. Like many people, I live with a vulnerable family member so I have had to spend much of the year shielding,’’ Rowntree said at the time.
‘‘Many countries whose governments have followed the science and tackled the epidemic head-on aren’t in this position.
‘‘I could complain that it’s unfair, but I think my residents could also complain about unfairness if I stood again, not knowing when I’d be able to get back out there, knocking on doors, looking for problems to solve.’’
During his break from politics, Rowntree worked on his own 10-track debut album, Radio Songs, a tribute to radio’s role as ‘‘one of the steadying factors in (his) life”. Last year, he picked up the sticks again for Blur, performing at Wembley in the group’s first headline show since 2015.
