Photo: Wenn
Today in a shock announcement, former DJ and proponent of social change and soulful house Chuka Umunna announced he would no longer be running for leadership of the Labour party.
Having announced his candidateship only this week, Umunna said in a statement today that he felt deeply uncomfortable by the level of intrusion into his personal life. "Since the night of our defeat last week I have been subject to the added level of pressure that comes with being a leadership candidate. I have not found it to be a comfortable experience. " According to reports he was upset that the press not only doorstepped his mother, but his girlfriend's parents and his 102 grandmother. A Tory blogger had also written a post criticised him for having a girlfriend rather than a wife at the age of 36. While rumours are swirled that a Sunday tabloid sting might be involved, it appears that Umunna understandably just found the level of scrutiny unbearable.
This is a real shame, not least as for the first time we were genuinely offered a parliamentary candidate who had opinions on club culture that didn’t involve shutting down venues and condemning drug use. Umunna was a former DJ. When I met him to interview him for a magazine back in 2010, we chatted for a while about how much he enjoyed the soulful house of Bobby and Steve. He seemed to be the first British politician to genuinely feel like he understood the appeal of going clubbing - not just standing at the back with a scowl like Inspector Morse at a rave.
He was the first MP to sound like he had better taste than Samantha "212" Cameron. He even felt happy to post online his thoughts on what's gone wrong with clubbing in London - who would honestly disagree that there's nowhere to go clubbing in the West End and it's full of "c-list wannabees" and places that opt for "the cheesy vibe"? It was only when he started calling people trash that proved a step too far.
Still, a deep love of club culture and the scrutiny of the press don't make for an easy match. He told GQ about going to see Norman Jay DJ and how it became a national tabloid story. “There is a club in Brixton that I always used to go to a lot called Plan B and I went there with [then girlfriend] Luciana shortly after I was elected. We had an awesome time. Norman Jay, one of my favourite DJs, was playing and we did what any group of young people would do. There were three or four of us. We hadn't drunk ridiculous amounts - we went and got chicken from Morley's. I got on the 159 bus - this is at two in the morning - and came back home." The tabloids made a story of it and as such Umunna had to ditch part of the life he loved. "So as a result I never go there any more. But I don't complain about it. It goes with the territory."
The fact is that he still wanted to engage with music. There was a tweet (since deleted) posted in October 2013 when he talked about how for him jungle was always superior to drum n'bass. "For me #DnB wiill always be jungle. 1 of my fav tracks 'Burial' by Leviticus was produced by my constituent Djjjfrost." Can you imagine another current MP saying this with any degree of confidence? A man who not only enjoys club culture but is so well versed in it that he can actually complain it's not as good as it used to be?
He may not have been the man to unite the hugely divided Labour Party but one feels this is an opportunity missed. This means yet again we’re left with David Cameron pretending to like the War On Drugs, former Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg dancing to 5ive and Nigel Farage singing along to UKIP calypso. Perhaps a lifestyle which involves going out late and dancing with strangers is completely incompatible with running for office - but we suspect not. He may not have been everything Labour needed but he was a rare genuine music fan in a position of power. All we'll say is this: if he's ever decides to run for London Mayor you can bet he'll save a damn sight more music venues than Boris can manage.
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