Six candidates are standing for election to parliament to represent the Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven constituency on Thursday 4 July 2024.
The six candidates are Valerie Gray (Social Democratic Party), Elaine Hills (Green), Stewart Stone (Liberal Democrats), Khobi Vallis (Conservative), Emma Wall (Independent) and Chris Ward (Labour).
Each candidate answered questions submitted by voters. Here are the answers from Labour candidate Chris Ward, 41, who tweets as @Chris4BtnKTP.
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Why do you want to be an MP and how are you qualified for the role?
I grew up in Brighton. My parents grew up in Peacehaven. I’m an Albion season ticket holder. I’ve worked for and been a Labour Party member since I was 18 so I’m delighted to be a candidate in the city I love and for the party I love.
If elected, I’ll be a national voice for local people – working hard as part of a Labour government and with our local Labour council to deliver change on the things that really matter in this constituency – from the cost of living and housing to the NHS, climate change, crime and childcare.
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If elected, how would you deal with performance and pricing problems in privatised utilities such as the water companies, railways, energy companies and the Royal Mail?
The Conservatives’ failure to properly regulate privatised utilities has seen shareholders’ profit while bills soar and services decline.
I’ll support tougher regulation of water companies – including higher fines and an end to bonuses for water companies who pollute our waters.
I’ll back Labour’s plans for clean energy by 2030, including Great British Energy – a publicly owned green energy company – and investing more in onshore, offshore and solar power.
I’ll champion bringing our railways back into public ownership – ending the broken franchise system and putting passengers, not shareholders, first.
I’ll support Royal Mail as a key part of our national infrastructure.
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What would you do to help people who are struggling to rent or buy a home? Should second homes or Airbnb-style holiday lets be banned?
Tackling the housing crisis is one of my main priorities. It’s heartbreaking meeting so many local people who are suffering as a result.
So I’ll back Labour’s plans to build 1.5 million homes, update planning laws and work with local communities to get Britain building.
I’ll support new rights for renters – improving standards and abolishing “no fault” evictions. I’ll work with national and local government to end homelessness.
In a city like Brighton, holiday lets will always be part of the mix so it’s important there are strong licensing requirements for landlords and good standards for renters.
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What steps would you take to improve hospital performance, community care and access to GPs for patients in Brighton and Hove?
If elected, I’ll work to put the NHS back on its feet after 14 years of neglect.
I’ll back Labour’s plans to cut NHS waiting times with two million extra NHS appointments, to deliver 700,000 more urgent dental appointments, train thousands more GPs and recruit more mental health staff in our local community.
For the NHS to flourish, it also needs to focus on prevention – tackling poor health earlier and in the community. That will take time, but it’s an approach I will champion.
The NHS is one of Britain’s and Labour’s proudest achievements – I’ll always fight for its future.
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Events in Israel and Gaza have affected many members of the community here. What can people in your constituency expect you to say and do as an MP?
The events in Israel and Gaza have been, and continue to be, an absolute tragedy.
The death and destruction we have seen is indefensible and has resulted in an appalling humanitarian catastrophe.
If elected, I will continue to push for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, the upholding of international law and a rapid increase of aid into Gaza.
I will also support recognising a Palestinian state as part of a renewed peace process and believe that a two-state solution is essential to the long-term security of Israel and the wider region.
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Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven – Given the importance of tourism, how would you balance the evidence about sea water quality locally with perceptions?
Local residents, businesses, tourists and generations to come will benefit from clean seas and better protections for our beautiful coastline and countryside.
Southern Water has a poor reputation locally and its clear decisive action is needed so I’ll back Labour’s plans to force polluting water companies to clean up our seas.
I’ll bring together local businesses, our councillors and water companies to agree an action plan to improve our local environment and support local jobs.
I’ll always champion Brighton as an amazing place to live and visit, including by supporting regeneration projects such as the restoration of Madeira Terrace.
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Polling stations are due to be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 4 July. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
This man knows absolutely nothing about Brighton..
He’s very vague about where exactly he was brought up. He’s also very vague about his employment with the lobbyist company Hanbury. There was an allegation that he helped Tony Blair allow gambling adverts on television.
There is a lot of debate on the Internet about holiday lets, most startling of all is that Barcelona is going to stop them altogether, and only on the television last week there was a Scottish island where there were so many family holiday homes the locals couldn’t afford to live there and the community was in danger of collapse.
Does he not realise that this is what’s happening in Brighton, our community is collapsing under the weight of Airbnbs, holiday lets and holiday homes.
What we need is homes for people who live here.
His answers read as though he’s asked ChatGPT what a Labour Party candidate should say. We literally learn nothing about what this man’s position other than he’s towing the Labour Party line. We already know that Labour have watered down their policies and are now essentially Tories wearing red rosettes. If Chris and crew believe that “tougher regulation” will solve the water industry scandal he’s in cloud cuckoo land – Southern Water were fined more than £90 million in court a few years ago and it’s been proved in court they covered things up – that hasn’t stopped them polluting the sea though.
Southern Water have more than a “poor reputation” they deliberately covered up their wrongdoing and their environmental crimes. Not impressed.
Also wonder what he means by this “I’ll support Royal Mail as a key part of our national infrastructure.” It’s really odd phrasing when there’s a contentious planning application for a new depot – does Chris know something we don’t and he’s for Royal Mail being given planning permission.
The question is about privatisation failures, but his answer and choice of using the word “support” is interesting… Patcham residents may want to take note!
Hanbury Strategy is an official lobby group that acts for, for example, the Post Office, Blackstone and UnHerd. Potentially significant conflicts of interests. Candidates, lobbyists et al, ought to declare their interests during the election process so that the electorate are fully aware of them before they vote. I note that he describes himself as a director of Hanbury strategy, in his LinkedIn profile, but he’s not actually registered in Companies House as a director. Sarah, as our democracy reported you are well placed to ask him about this discrepancy. Please will you also ask him what other interests he has or has had? Thanks.
They don’t live in the constituency they are standing for so should be ignored.
Was he a Starmer henchman or a Blair henchman? The rumour mill is confused. Either way he has a big fat NOTHING to offer Brighton citizens and has been parachuted in from elsewhere for whatever reason.
I’d be interested to hear if in the event of Lloyd Russell-Moyle’s suspension being found to be baseless, would Chris Ward be willing to step down so Russell-Moyle could retake his seat in a by-election?
No F*** way dude. This is the Labour Party they reward loyalty not competence. Look at council’s cabinet.
That’d be a gamble for a by-election. I don’t see Labour ever taking that risk.
I was going to vote Labour but after my MP, Lloyd Russell Moyle ( was deselected for no explained reason) I shall revert to the Lib Dems . Not the Greens who made a weedy mess of our City and certainly not the Tories who made a mess of the whole country.
I was interested in Liz Robinson’s comments but am puzzled by her belief that the mysterious removal of Mr Russell Moyle is a reason for supporting the Liberal Democrats. The country is in the mess it is in because of the massive increase in the national debt caused by the furloughing scheme; I agree that the Tories, and Mr Sunak in particular, were responsible for that but I don’t remember that the ever two-faced Liberal Democrats said a word against it!