Statements of support

Bruce Kent (Read: Bruce Kent addressing Reg Keys picnic.)

I am delighted to support Reg Keys, an honest man, who stands for integrity in public life. He has every chance of defeating Tony Blair who led us into an immoral and illegal war.

Rory Bremner

If people still feel comfortable enough to vote Labour, but do not want Tony Blair, the voters of Sedgefield hold the key. If all Conservative voters in Sedgefield, and Lib Dem voters, and disillusioned Labour voters, vote for Keys, it could be enough to overturn his 17,000 majority.

It's possible.

Read 'Like a fish, Labour is rotting from the head down' By Rory Bremner.

John Williams

How many times have we heard the standard threat to wavering Labour voters - "Don’t let the Tories in by the back door"? Well, if I could vote here in Sedgefield it would be a simple choice – send Reg Keys in by the front door, and I would add, thank you Reg from the bottom of my heart for restoring some dignity, honour and hope when we all desperately need it.

Read the John Williams press statement.

Bob Clay, former Labour MP for Sunderland North who is acting as agent:
"We will be running a serious campaign with a full voter canvass. I believe Reg Keys has a real chance of winning this constituency from Blair and I consider it an honour to support him."

Martin Bell, former Independent MP for Tatton:
"Reg Keys has rapidly established himself as Tony Blair's main challenger. For once, an election in Sedgefield will be a contest, not a procession. A vote for Reg is a vote for real democracy.

"From my own experience in Tatton, and Dr Richard Taylor's in Wyre Forest, I know that it takes three essential elements for an Independent campaign to succeed: a good cause, a well-known candidate and an unpopular incumbent. In Sedgefield we have all three.

"I count it an honour and a privilege to support Reg Keys. He is not a politician, but he is the sort of man that a politician should be: brave, committed, caring and truthful. His campaign has started brilliantly. It has the potential to change the political landscape."

Musician Brian Eno:
"I sense a process going on in government, led by Blair himself, of the gradual dismemberment of democracy. I regard Reg Keys's campaign as a way of halting this process and of separating off the Blair tendency from the Labour Party itself."

David Soul
"As a new British citizen I fully support the campaign of Reg Keys for Truth
and Trust in Sedgefield."

Margaret Cook
"Reg Keys has my wholehearted good wishes, admiration, support and sympathy."

Alex Salmond
House of Commons
7 April 2005

Dear Reg,

I would like to take this opportunity to endorse you as a candidate in the forthcoming General Election. I am extremely happy that you have decided to stand against Tony Blair in the constituency of Sedgefield.

I hope that you will be successful and that through your action we can hold Tony Blair to account for his actions before and during the Iraq war.

With best wishes,

Alex Salmond MP
Leader
Scottish National Party

Benjamin Zephaniah
'In this election campaign the parties are colluding in not speaking about the war. I appeal to you to remember the war on Iraq when you vote.'

Richard Dawkins (Read Article):

I shall be voting Liberal Democrat in Oxford, but I hope the Lib Dem candidate in Sedgefield will withdraw and back Reg Keys. Let me explain why I am joining Martin Bell, Brian Eno and others in support of the Reg Keys campaign. Tony Blair, of course, wants us to "move on" after Iraq. But I am one of the many voters who won't move on until Blair moves out. Out of Downing Street. Reg Keys might achieve this in Sedgefield. And we all might achieve it if we vote our true inclination and ignore Blair's scaremongering.

Michael Mansfield QC
As is well-known, I, with others, have been attempting to make this
Government accountable for decisions taken about the Iraq war, as well as
its execution, and I therefore heartily endorse Mr Keys' candidacy in the
hope that the Electorate itself will at last bring those responsible to
book.

Michael Mansfield QC
Tooks Chambers

Roy Bailey

Roy Bailey
The people of Sedgefield have it within their grasp to save the Labour Party. If you had the choice on your ballot paper of either Labour or New Labour where would you place your cross? Tony Blair is New Labour. The illegal war in Iraq was led by New Labour. More than 100,000 people have died, thousands more maimed and wounded, tens of thousands more left without husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends and neighbours. How many more of whom we never hear? And for what? The reasons, the justifications, dissolve into the sands as they are destroyed by the evidence. All war is a barbaric way to solve problems; it simply creates more. An illegal war, I believe, makes those whose policies created it, war criminals. This election enables the people of Sedgefield to save the Labour Party by rejecting New Labour as created by Tony Bliar (err … sorry for the typing error) Blair. I want the Labour Party to win the national election and I want Tony Blair defeated by the people of Sedgefield. VOTE FOR REG KEYS.

Frederick Forsyth

'Reg Keys and the people of Sedgefield can prevent Blair returning to power. I am making a direct appeal to the voters of Sedgefield to ignore the Conservative candidate, and the Liberal Democrat, and to vote for Reg Keys, a decent, honest man whose son was killed for a tissue of lies.

We must make it clear that we are not prepared to be lied to and that it is not acceptable to send our forces to war on the basis of lies.'

Mark Seddon, Labour NEC member and former editor of Tribune

If you would like to endorse Reg Keys for Sedgefield, please send a few
words of support, and perhaps a photograph of yourself, to the website.

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Statements of support