Eddie Izzard has failed in her bid to become a Labour candidate for a Brighton constituency at the next general election.
The comedian and actor had hoped to contest Brighton Pavilion - the seat held by Green MP Caroline Lucas since 2010.
In a post on social media, Mr Gray, an activist and musician, who won the Mercury Prize with band Gomez in 1998, said he was "delighted and humbled" to be selected as Labour's candidate.
The Argus newspaper reported he received backing from several trade unions to secure victory, with Izzard placing second out of four candidates.
The plan was met with scepticism from ex-Labour councillor Caroline Penn who tweeted: "You can't lead a parliamentary campaign if you are in New York for three months, performing your one-person show.
Izzard has previously made an attempt to enter the Commons, unsuccessfully trying to become Labour's candidate for Sheffield Central.
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