Former English cricketer Monty Panesar has withdrawn as a candidate for the British Labor Party, a week after announcing his candidacy for the British Parliament.
Panesar, 42, who played 50 Tests, said when his candidacy was announced that he wanted to stand up for the working class and tackle the country’s wealth gap.
Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, born in Luton, north London, to Sikh parents who emigrated from the Indian state of Punjab, became a fan favorite during his Test spell between 2006 and 2013.
The former left-winger intended to stand in Ealing Southall, which is held by the main opposition Labor Party.
But he wrote in X: “So now I stand as a general election candidate for the Labor Party.
“I wish the Labor Party the best of luck, but I hope to mature and find my political feet, and I’m ready to give it all the next time I step into the political wicket.”
“We hope it is in Monty’s best interests to step down as a candidate now and that he will return to the field in due course,” a party spokesman said.
In a scathing interview with the Radio Times last week, Panesar appeared confused by one of Labour’s promises to leave the NATO military alliance.
He said NATO’s role was linked to immigration policy and the UK’s membership made border control difficult.
Labor leader George Galloway, a left-wing extremist, was re-elected in March amid anger over the Israel-Hamas war.
The former Labor MP hopes to capitalize on what he sees as discontent with mainstream parties such as the Conservatives and Labour.
Galloway said there are already 500 candidates lined up to run in this year’s general election.
Keir Starmer’s Labor is expected to win a majority of the vote, but Galloway has criticized Starmer for his stance on Israeli military action against Hamas in Gaza and hopes to exploit Labor’s divisions on the issue.
The Labor Party drew up a 10-point program that called for “an end to imperialist war and an end to financial domination, starting with withdrawal from NATO.”
