Graham Green!

BLUR guitarist GRAHAM COXON has announced his support for the GREEN PARTY's parliamentary candidate who is standing in his LONDON home, CAMDEN.

Coxon has previously spoken about his battles with the Labour-controlled Camden Council. He complained that the borough's pavements were in such a bad state that it was impossible for him to use his skateboard.

Rob Whitley, a 28-year-old psychology student, is standing as the Green Party candidate in Holborn and St Pancras, the London constituency which includes Camden. The current MP is Labour's defeated mayoral candidate, Frank Dobson.

Coxon has announced his support for Whitley and has even signed the Green prospective parliamentary candidate's nomination papers.

Whitley told NME.COM: "Graham is supporting me because we share the same views about what is happening in Camden - which is really a microcosm of what is happening all over the world - where small businesses such as the Electric Ballroom are being driven out to make way for more Starbucks."

The Green candidate is also a musician who plays mandolin in his own band called Lucy Broadwood.

"Over the last few years Graham and I have been pretty good friends," said Whitley. "He said he wants to support my campaign and stick a few posters up."

Blur singer Damon Albarn previously campaigned for Labour dissident Ken Livingstone as London's mayor, but has not shown his hand for the General Election.

For the full story on musicians' involvement in the forthcoming UK general election, see this week's NME, out in London today (May 22) and nationwide tomorrow.

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