UKIP has chosen a former parliamentary candidate and county councillor to contest the Brighton Pavilion seat at the general election on Thursday 8 June.
It has picked Ian Buchanan, who stood in Brighton Kemptown last time and was an East Sussex County Council member for Peacehaven until last week.
Mr Buchanan will take on Caroline Lucas, Britain’s first Green MP, as well as Labour’s Solomon Curtis and Emma Warman for the Tories.
The Liberal Democrats also picked a former Brighton Kemptown candidate Paul Chandler but his party has since decided not to fight the seat.
As with the Greens’ decision to stand aside in Brighton Kemptown, the aim is to optimise the chances of a left of centre party beating the Conservatives.
UKIP has yet to say whether it will field candidates in Hove and Brighton Kemptown.
I would vote for anyone (or anything) if there was a chance that they would unseat Caroline Lucas and her bunch of Green incompetents and incapables
Agree I would vote for a Turnip to get Lucas out unfortunately this incredible system allows Students to vote in our City one week and move home the next …
And the far-left advise students on whether to choose their home or uni address to vote from to give maximum impact to their votes…
Similar feelings here. I just checked to see if the Monster Raving Loony Party are running a candidate for Brighton Pavilion, and they aren’t, so I will probably vote for this UKIP man. If he does beat Caroline Lucas it will put the cat among the Brighton Pavilion pigeons. We can dream….it would be amazing if he won.
Come on Ian Buchanan, we need you to have a bigger public presence so voters know who you are. There is an outside chance you could beat Caroline Lucas, or at least start to demolish her majority, as the conservatives are running a weak candidate and labour are picking up a current of unhappiness with Caroline Lucas among the young. This seat has traditionally been about a strong personality regardless of party, as was Kemp Town once under Andrew Bowden, and they brought in Caroline Lucas to fulfil this rock star persona.
As the Monster Raving Loony Party are not running a candidate for Brighton Pavilion, this UKIP man has every chance of picking up the huge disaffected vote.