Ipswich: As the town’s parliamentary candidates gear themselves up for next week’s hustings, comedian Eddie Izzard dropped in to give his support to Labour’s campaign.

He met candidate Chris Mole and Labour supporters in a brief encounter on the way to Lowestoft, Norwich and Cambridge.

“Chris Mole has a strong record of getting results for Ipswich in Parliament,” said Eddie. “He is an excellent candidate and the right man for Ipswich.”

Thanking the entertainer who recently completed 43 marathons in 51 days for the charity Sport Relief, Mr Mole said: “I want to thank Eddie for stopping in Ipswich to support my campaign for a future fair for Ipswich.

“The election campaign feels like a marathon at times, but it is nothing compared to Eddie’s achievements for Sport Relief.”

Next week’s hustings will be taking place at Christ Church in Tacket Street, Ipswich, and is open to voters who can drop in to ask questions on any issues about which they are concerned.

Organised in conjunction with Amnesty International and in association with Heart4Ipswich, the hustings will feature Mr Mole, the Conservative candidate Ben Gummer, Liberal Democrat hopeful Mark Dyson, the Green Party’s Tim Glover, and Chris Streatfield, who is standing in Ipswich for the United Kingdom Independence Party.

However, three candidates have not been invited to take part in the hustings event, which starts at 7.30pm. They are Dennis Boater of the British National Party and independent hopefuls Pete Turtill and Sally Wainman.