ACTOR and comedian Eddie Izzard continued his campaigning efforts for Welsh Labour today, as he took to the streets in Newport city centre.

He joined Labour candidate for Newport West Ruth Jones, who is bidding to retain the seat in her first General Election since she won a by-election in April.

He began the afternoon by giving a speech to supporters who gathered to meet him at Le Pub in Newport High Street, joking with them by referring to Boris Johnson as "Boris Trump", and encouraging them to “push hard for a brighter future” in the week before polling day.

South Wales Argus:

Mr Izzard, who has just finished filming Six Minutes to Midnight with Judi Dench, told the Argus: “Newport and south Wales mean a lot to me, as I lived in the area for a long time. It’s a wonder I haven’t got a Welsh accent.

“I have also run through here many times for my marathons. I remember many people here thinking I was bonkers, but I did find the people to be really supportive.”

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After failing to become a candidate for the election, the performer has turned his attention to canvassing, saying: “I’ve been an active member of the party since 1995, and I really wanted to get a chance this time around, but that didn’t happen.

"I’ll still push for that in the future, but in the meantime I will continue to campaign and knock on as many doors as I can.”

South Wales Argus:

Mr Izzard said the NHS and the living wage are what scare him most about the Conservatives in government.

“We always put money into the NHS and the Tories always take it out,” he said. “I really fear this time around it could be the end for the NHS, because I think under the Tories it could be sold off.

“I think the living wage needs to be much higher too, at least £10 (an hour). We have the ideas to take this country forwards and we have always cared about trying to make this country a fairer place.”

Ruth Jones praised Mr Izzard and said the visit contributed to the high morale in the Labour camp.

South Wales Argus:

“It’s nice to have a boost for the campaign with a celebrity with socialist ideas coming to the area,” she said.

“It’s given us that extra boost to maintain our motivation and continue to canvass three times a day to tell people about the importance of voting Labour.

"We won it in April (the by-election) and I am sure we can reproduce that success this time around.”

The other candidates running for the Newport West seat are Jonathan Clark for Plaid Cymru, Cameron Edwards for the Brexit Party, Matthew Evans for the Conservatives, Ryan Jones for the Liberal Democrats, and Amelia Womack for the Green Party.