Sandi Toksvig quits ‘News Quiz’ to set up Women’s Equality Party

Comedian Sandi Toksvig is to help create a new political party that seeks to foreground the issue of gender inequality.

Toksvig, who announced that she was leaving panel show The News Quiz earlier this week, discussed the founding of the Women’s Equality Party in an interview with BBC Woman’s Hour.

She told the show: “I have made jokes over and over again about politics and, do you know, this election I’ve had enough.”

The Women’s Equality Party, which hopes to field parliamentary candidates in 2020, will focus on issues such as the gender pay gap and the lack of female representatives in politics.

Twitter users have already expressed their approval for Toksvig’s new endeavour.

Look, as a long-time Radio 4 fan and feminists, this news about Sandi Toksvig quietly made my afternoon.

— Louise MacGregor (@cutpriceguignol) May 1, 2015

I would vote for @sanditoksvig and the Women's Equality Party any day of the week.

— RebeccaGray (@RebeccaGray) May 1, 2015

Sandi Toksvig is the latest comedian to step into politics, albeit more seriously than some of her contemporaries.

Al Murray is standing against Nigel Farage in South Thanet as The Pub Landlord and The Revolution Will Be Televised co-creator Heydon Prowse will challenge Conservative chairman Grant Shapps in Welwyn Hatfield as Shapps’ alter ego Michael Green.

“I think politicians can learn from comedians that you don’t have to be dry and stale,” said Adam Kay – frontman of musical comedy act Amateur Transplants.

He said: “The role of a comedian is to have something you believe in, whether that’s left, right or centre, and try to get the message across to people without being too preachy.”