Labour welcomes first transgender parliamentary candidate

Britain’s first openly transgender parliamentary candidate will stand for Labour at next year’s general election.

Emily Brothers, who is a transgender woman, will stand for election in the constituency of Sutton and Cheam next May.

The politician is also known for being a vocal campaigner for disability rights, after losing her sight to glaucoma as a child.

Labour leader Ed Miliband tweeted: “So proud to have Emily Brothers as a @UKLabour candidate. She is an important voice in our movement.”

Emily Brothers has long been a courageous campaigner on disability rights & now on trans issues too.

— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) December 9, 2014

Earlier this year, former MEP and Stonewall co-founder Michael Cashman was made a Labour peer – read more here.