Steve Coogan comes out in support of Labour in 'knife-edge' General Election

Alan Partridge comic says he's backing the Labour Party because he's an 'ordinary bloke'

Helen Nianias
Monday 04 May 2015 12:18 BST
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Alan Partridge actor Steve Coogan has backed Labour in the 2015 election
Alan Partridge actor Steve Coogan has backed Labour in the 2015 election

Steve Coogan has backed the Labour party in the General Election, saying that another Conservative-led government would mean "more cuts, more privatisation and the dismantling of the NHS."

Speaking straight to camera in a cafe, Coogan said: "My parents taught me to appreciate hard work, honesty and decency."

He added: "They taught me that politics matter. Now, a lot of people are very cynical about politics, but it's easy to be cynical. Cynicism doesn't change anything. Cynicism never built a school, or a hospital.

"The great thing about the British people is that they have a sense of fairness. And when we see the Conservatives helping their rich friends to avoid paying taxes, we know that's not fair because it means that decent hardworking people have to pay more.


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"And if we don't think that's fair, we need to change it. And if we want to change it, we need to vote Labour."

Coogan has become active in the public sphere in recent years, and has become as well known for his activism as for his acting.

Working with campaign Hacked Off, Coogan has called for stricter press regulations in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry.

Last year, he said of the new media regulator: "To most people Ipso is a busted flush. The misrepresentation of Leveson's core findings as state regulation was a gross distortion."

He also opposed Scottish independence in the 2014 referendum.

Other celebrities supporting Labour in the 2015 elections are Eddie Izzard and David Tennant.

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