Could a vote for ‘Rosie Duffield’ gain a head of steam in Brighton Pavilion?

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 20th March 2024)

Some people in Brighton Pavilion are considering voting for a surprise, unofficial, candidate. She will not be on the ballot paper, but people have told me that they might write her name at the bottom of the ballot. She is not seeking nomination here and almost certainly will not endorse this move. She might even publicly denounce it. What is more, she will be standing for the Labour Party in the Kent constituency she already represents.

So why are people in Brighton Pavilion considering voting for Rosie Duffield? She won’t be elected here, and any vote for her will be counted as a spoiled ballot and won’t count. ‘Vote Duffield’ was my wife’s proposal. Rosie Duffield is the Labour MP for Canterbury but she was vilified on social media and shunned by Labour’s leadership because of her gender-critical views. She, like many of us, does not believe that anyone can change their sex regardless of how they might choose to live their lives.  

Tom Gray and Siân Berry

I don’t know how many will vote for ‘Rosie Duffield’. It might be just a small handful or it could yet gain a head of steam. Much depends on what the official Labour candidate, Tom Gray, says on the protection of single-sex spaces for those born female, spaces such as hospital wards, changing rooms, toilets, refuges and rape crisis services.

Siân Berry has had a consistent take on this issue. Her view is that transgender women (those born male) should be allowed to use women-only spaces even if they have all their male bits intact (my words, not hers). The Greens have lost support amongst many women and men because they relentlessly prioritise trans rights over women’s sex-based rights, their failure to investigate a Green Party member, the paedophile David Challenor, and their unlawful discrimination against their former deputy leader, Shahrar Ali, who holds gender-critical views. 

Siân has said she will never compromise on trans rights. Tom Gray, on the other hand, seems very reluctant to say what he believes or if he believes anything at all!  He has been challenged on social media to say where he stands, and some constituents have written to him on the issue. I have been told that he has not replied. 

In my first column this year, I wrote about the potential for this to be an election issue in Brighton Pavilion: “Tom will need to say where he stands. The trans rights lobby, including those in his own party, is very vociferous, especially on social media, but they are not significant electorally.” I pointed out that Labour has shifted from its previous support for self-identification which would have allowed people to legally change gender without a medical diagnosis and has, instead, recommitted itself to ensuring that some single-sex services and places should be accessed by biological women only. 

I have written to Tom asking for his views on this matter but was referred to the regional press office. I wrote to the named press officer, several times over a few weeks, but have had no response. Are they still captured by the trans-rights activists? Why are they unwilling to repeat the party’s new policy? So I wrote again to Tom, as have others who have contacted me. Tom has not replied to them either. If I was still a Labour member in Brighton Pavilion (I resigned my party membership back in 1994) I would be thoroughly disappointed and disillusioned by Tom’s non-campaign.

Why can’t Tom say that he supports the policy of his Party (even if his leader, Sir Keir Starmer can’t quite bring himself to say “sex-based rights”, preferring to refer to “safe spaces”)? Perhaps he feels that he cannot go against those vociferous activists who hold a different view to the party’s policy, as does the MP for Brighton Kemptown, Lloyd Russell-Moyle. If Tom is running scared of his own Party members, what will he be like when faced with more formidable opponents and vested interests when he is an MP?

A recent opinion poll put Siân Berry at almost 50% with Tom Gray at 37%. He needs something to ignite his rather odd and lacklustre campaign. If he could harness the ‘gender critical’ vote, then the result could be closer than it is currently likely to be. But for now, imagine the scene at the election count as Siân narrowly wins the seat, aided by outraged ‘Duffield’ votes that could otherwise have gone to Labour. It would be too late for regrets.

An apology to the Greens in Brighton and Hove for comparing them to Chris Grayling

I understand that I have upset the Greens over my recent post regarding the reintroduction of glyphosate to deal with the weeds on the pavements of Brighton and Hove. It was described as one of my “recent columns / hatchet jobs on the Green Party”, and that it is “always best, when insulting people, to get the facts right.”

I was told that the vote to ban glyphosate took place under the previous Labour administration. I was aware of that and in my original column I referred to the Council having made the decision since it was voted through with both Labour and Green votes. It was the implementation of the ban where I criticised the Greens.  

What I did not mention, an omission for which I apologise, was that Green councillor Pete West warned in committee that an outright ban without a plan in place could cause significant problems and that this was echoed by Lee Wares, from the Conservatives.  The Greens were handed what in rugby is called a ‘hospital pass’ by Labour when their administration collapsed and the Greens stepped up to take responsibility for the ban’s implementation. The Greens should have paused its implementation until they had a viable plan.

My Green correspondent seems to be most upset by me comparing the Greens to Chris Graying: “I have become familiar with your attacks on me and my colleagues but comparing us to Chris Grayling… is a step too far.”

It is obviously not the Greens who have been spending too much time with Chris Grayling!

I apologise for the Chris Grayling comment. It was made as a humorous aside but one that was below the belt. Notwithstanding my apology, the Greens were not the greatest administrators and I hope they have reflected long and hard why they were so comprehensively rejected by the voters. They did not see a defeat nor the scale of that defeat coming when it was plain as day to many of us.  

I remind my Green friends that I am not hostile to the Greens and have regularly voted for Green candidates when I think the candidate is worth voting for. For many years now I have voted for the individual  rather than the party, often in spite of them being Green or Labour or, in two elections, Conservative.  I have regularly been told by a senior member of the Green Party that the Greens don’t bother reading what I write. That is their prerogative but I am pleased that my recent correspondent has bucked this trend.

It’s Gomez Gray against Smokin’ Siân for the undisputed heavyweight title of Brighton Pavilion

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 3rd January 2024)

Ladies and Gentlemen, the main contest on this election card is the head-to-head fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of Brighton Pavilion. In the red corner is Tom ‘Gomez’ Gray fighting out of Brighton via Liverpool. In the green corner, ‘Smokin’ Siân Berry from Camden in old London Town.

The battle lines are drawn for the campaign to succeed Caroline Lucas as the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion. This will be a tough contest to call. Neither is likely to strike a knockout blow and it could come down to a split decision on points or, at least, a handful of votes.

The electoral tide is with Labour. When Caroline was first elected in 2010, Labour was way down in the polls, and the big ‘M’ – momentum (not the left wing organisation) – was with the Greens who were poised to seize control of the City Council the following year. The situation is now reversed. Labour enjoys a healthy national lead in the polls, notwithstanding the tepid Sir Keir Starmer. The Greens locally are now in the Doldrums having been humiliated in May’s elections to Brighton and Hove City Council while Labour had its best result ever.

Siân and Tom have different problems when it comes to commitments they might wish to make to the electorate. Tom can’t promise anything meaningful without incurring the wrath of Rachel Reeves if there is any cost attached. Meanwhile Siân has the opposite problem. Any promises she makes will be meaningless because, even if elected, she will never be in a position to deliver on any of them.

Labour should not take this as a reason to discourage people from voting Green. Caroline Lucas has shown that a lone Green MP can effectively shine a light on issues. Not so for yet another Labour backbencher who will be lost in the crowd, especially a backbencher in a party likely to have a stonking great majority.  Hundreds of under-employed backbenchers will wish to be seen by the Whips as being on best behaviour in order to secure promotion to the lowest bag-carrying position. 

Tom will face tricky questions over local issues, such as the proposed closure of St Bartholomew’s school in the constituency. Can he criticise, even campaign against, the Labour administration that is currently consulting on the closure? Siân will have no such difficulty and is already taking a stand on issues for which she will never be responsible. Caroline used to distance herself from the Green administration so much so that people used to say that they would never vote Green again but had no hesitation in saying that they would vote for her.

There is one specific issues that Tom will need to clarify: his views on women’s sex-based rights. Labour dodged a bullet by rejecting Eddie Izzard as its candidate. Not only does Eddie not support single-sex spaces for women, he actually intrudes on them on a regular basis. Tom will need to say where he stands. The trans rights lobby, including in his own party, is very vociferous, especially on social media, but they are not significant electorally.

All current Labour MPs were elected on the following manifesto commitment: “Ensure that the single-sex-based exemptions contained in the Equality Act 2010 are understood and fully enforced in service provision.” Last summer the Labour Party shifted from its previous support for self-identification which would have allowed people to legally change gender without a medical diagnosis. The party has also recommitted itself to ensuring that some single-sex services and places should be accessed only by biological women.

The Greens have lost support amongst many women and men because of their uncompromising policies on trans rights over women’s sex-based rights. Siân has made this a major part of her pitch saying she will never compromise on this. She even stood down as party leader because of a slight adjustment in the Green Party policy. Siân should expect questions on her position on women’s sex-based rights and, if she stands by her long-standing position, she can expect to lose support. There is also an employment tribunal discrimination case being brought against the Green Party by Shahrar Ali who was dismissed from his role as party spokesperson because of his support for women’s sex-based rights. This case might yet reflect negatively on Siân.  

Notwithstanding the above, in Tom and Siân we have two very engaging, strong candidates who will provide us voters in Brighton Pavilion with a pleasant dilemma as to whom we want as our next MP. Support for women’s sex-based rights might just prove decisive in a close contest.

Rishi Sunak: an empty shell in an expensive suit. My review of the year.

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 27th December 2023)

As we approach the new year, many will reflect on the last twelve months.  Who would have thought that we would have witnessed the near terminal implosion of the Conservative Party? Even in the last three weeks, the party has further torn itself apart over one of its flagship policies – immigration and the ill-conceived Rwanda initiative. Rishi Sunak looks increasingly forlorn and tetchy,  . He can’t please the left or right in his own party. What hope has he of convincing the country that they can trust the Conservatives?

The May local elections in Brighton and Hove saw the humiliation of the Green Party, seeing the number of its councillors slump from 21 to just seven, a result even worse than the eleven I had forecast, a forecast that had attracted scorn from several Greens. The Conservatives fared slightly worse, ending up with an historic low of just six seats. In the case of the Conservatives, the blame for their performance was down entirely to their national leadership, while the Greens locally were the architects of their own misfortune. They were poor communicators, poor administrators, and exceptionally poor politicians.

The Brighton and Hove Labour Party had its most successful election ever, winning 38 seats. But the wheels have begun to come off. Within six months, two of their councillors had been expelled from the Party following allegations that they might actually live in Leicester; another has been removed from committees and representing the Council because of a rather innocuous, dated tweet that has been interpreted as transphobic and for which she, regrettably, apologised; and a fourth has resigned just six months after being elected.  One must wonder about the competence of the Party that failed to do basic due diligence before imposing three of these candidates on its members and on the electorate.

Internationally, the war in Ukraine rumbles on without any sign of a solution. That conflict has been overshadowed by the appalling terrorist attack in southern Israel on 7th October that sickened all reasonable, decent people. The physical and sexual violence on that day should have been condemned without reservation and should continue to be condemned.  What followed has seen an unacceptable loss of life amongst thousands of the civilian population of Gaza.  The humanitarian disaster we are witnessing in Gaza should also be condemned by all reasonable, decent people. One horrific war crime does not justify another, nor should any of it justify the increase in anti-semitism in the U.K.

On a personal level, after 41 years working in the housing and social care sector, 37 of these with the wonderful charity BHT Sussex and 20 years as its chief executive, I retired. I was given a wonderful send off and humbled to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Sussex. In retirement I have been freed from the daily stress of leading a large organisation with over 300 employees that works with 10,000 people annually. Gone, too, are the out-of-hours crisis phone calls. Gone is the accountability to a Board, a regular source of stress for many chief executives. Gone, too, sadly, is the monthly salary!

All that has been replaced by a different pace of life, one that has allowed time for reading, thinking, writing and walking Molly the Dog. My wife cannot believe that there is so much cricket, rugby and football that demands to be watched, the highlight for this South African being the Springboks winning the Rugby World Cup for a record fourth time.

So what comes next?  The English men are unlikely to match the success of the Lionesses in the Euros. Will there be much for Brits to celebrate at the Paris Olympics, and will Britain once again score nul point in Eurovision? There is likely to be a general election in 2024 and only a fool would bet against a thumping Labour majority. But how long will it take before the gloss comes off the Labour government as it adheres to Conservative spending plans while not growing the economy at a rate necessary to meet the hopes and aspirations of the electorate?

Will the Conservative Party exist this time next year, or will it have become the two parties that seem determined to emerge? Will the Greens retain Brighton Pavilion? It’s all to play for, in my opinion, as the Londoner Siân Berry is up against the local Tom Gray. For those of us who love elections, this is likely to be a bumper year, and I for one cannot wait for hostilities to commence!

Is Sir Keir Starmer Labour’s Weakest Link?

In recent times, the polling company, Survation, has had the best track record in getting its polls right in the run-up to a general election.  I have always trusted its forecasts more than others.

In its last poll before the end of the year, it has given Labour a 17 point lead, up three to 45, compared to the Conservative’s 28 points, up two points. (Both increases are compared to fieldwork undertaken in February 2023).

Survation has said: “We continue to find the Labour Party approximately 17 points ahead of the Conservatives with no observable positive reaction from the public to the various relaunches and campaigns coming from the Government throughout 2023.  Very roughly, at the coming General Election, the Conservative Party will need to have a 4-5 point lead in the polls over Labour, vs the current 17 point deficit, to secure a majority of 1 seat. This is probably the strongest argument for a ‘late’ October 2024 General Election – the certainty of losing if an early election was called.”

There are two other very interesting findings. The first is that the Green Party is down three points to just two. I can’t remember when the party was at such a low ebb.  This is probably the result of Labour continuing to fly high in the polls. It does not bode well for the Greens in their four target seats (including Brighton Pavilion which they will be defending).

Before Labour activists get too excited, the question on who would make the best prime minister will not make comfortable reading. For all the incompetence, failed relaunches and broken commitments of Rishi Sunak, he has actually closed the gap on Sir Keir Starmer. The Labour leader’s lead was nine points. It is now down to just six. Starmer is less popular than his party by eight points (45 to 37). Sunak, by comparison, is three points more popular than his party (31 to 28). At the start of the year Starmer was on 39 and Sunak 31. So Sunak’s rating has held, nudging up by one point, Starmer has reduced by three.

Labour is still on course for a thumping majority, but it must stop running the campaign as a presidential election because Starmer just doesn’t have it. He could end up being that slab of uneaten, unappetising turkey that is still in your fridge a week after Christmas.

Welcoming the Greens to Brighton for their annual conference

Green Party activists are descending on Brighton this weekend for the party’s annual conference. Sessions at the conference include: ‘How we won big in May’ and ‘Brighton: how we can win, what we learnt from the past 13 years and the plan to elect Siân’.

Graphic: Election Maps (@electionmapsuk)

Clearly the party is in good spirits and feeling upbeat. In May, the party did ‘win big’ and exceeded all previous achievements in local elections … except in Brighton.

To assist the Greens in their deliberations, I am providing links to some items I wrote after the local elections and following the selection of Siân Berry as its candidate to defend Caroline Lucas’s seat in Brighton Pavilion:

The Greens lost in Brighton and Hove because they were poor communicators, poor administrators, and exceptionally poor politicians

Why the Green Party’s Sian Berry is almost certainly not going to hold Brighton Pavilion at the next general election

And before anyone suggests I am pro-Labour and anti-Green, I have voted for Green Party candidates more often since 2010 that all other parties combined. I left the Labour Party in 1994 (having been a councillor for seven years) and haven’t been a member of any party since then. I don’t spare the Labour Party criticism. Recently, relating to a working class former Tory councillor, I wrote: “The fact that she was not a Labour councillor is an indictment of the failures of that party to offer a political home to her and others alongside the academics and middle class white colour workers in the local Labour Party.” I’ve written: “The Stepford Frontbenchers of the Labour Party with their hollowed-out, lifeless eyes and robotic answers…”.  On Russell Brand, I wrote: “Labour and the Greens should have known better than to allow Ed Miliband and Caroline Lucas anywhere near Brand.”

Yes, I have been critical of the Greens. The crop of councillors up to the local elections formed the most incompetent administration I have witnessed in over 40 years as an activist and subsequently observer of local Brighton politics. They had a few exceptional councillors but as a group they were an embarrassment to their party and deserved the mauling that they received.”

I hope the Green delegates enjoy their time in the City. But if you want to learn lessons about why the Greens were so utterly rejected locally, do read these links.

Why choosing Eddie Izzard as its candidate in Brighton Pavilion would be a disaster for the Labour Party

When the Green Party selected Sian Berry to be its candidate to defend the Brighton Pavilion seat at the next general election, I wrote that “Sian has no know links to the city while being heavily committed to London. She will be seen as a carpetbagger and an opportunist who is being parachuted in from afar.” A bit harsh, perhaps, but a positive factor for Labour.

I also warned that Labour “has been slow off the mark in selecting its candidate, surprising really as Brighton Pavilion is one of its key targets…” I said that the party “needs to select a sensible, local candidate. Choose badly and it might let the Greens back in.”

Eddie Izzard (photo credit Brighton Argus / Andrew Gardner)

So today’s news today that Eddie Izzard wants to be Labour’s candidate must be music to the ears of Sian Berry and the Greens. Like Berry, Izzard has no know links to the city while being heavily committed elsewhere, will be seen as a carpetbagger and an opportunist who is parachuting in from afar.” Choosing Izzard would neutralise an advantage that Labour might otherwise have.

One must also question whether Izzard is best suited to be a candidate in one of the most demanding of parliamentary seats. It is one thing for a celebrity to make a brief entrance to help with campaigning on a particular day, to be photographed and adored, before heading off to their next stop on the celebrity campaign trail.

It is another thing to slog their way around the constituency, night after night. There won’t be cameras and adoring crowds on a cold, wet Tuesday evening in Brentwood Road. (For Sian and Eddie’s benefit, Brentwood Road is in Hollingdean, a housing estate off Ditching Road accessed by the No 50 bus).

Choosing Sian Berry was not the best choice by the Greens. Choosing Eddie Izzard over a local candidate would be a mistake for Labour.

(See here for why I believe that the Greens will lose Brighton Pavilion at the next general election)

Who will the Greens choose to succeed Caroline Lucas?

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 19th July 2023 and was filed before Caroline Lucas endorsed, wrongly in my opinion, Siân Berry as her preferred candidate to defend Brighton Pavilion for the Green Party).

Caroline Lucas MP who is standing down at the next election

The Green Party in Brighton Pavilion is choosing its candidate for the next general election following the decision of Caroline Lucas to stand down. The ballot closes later today (Wednesday) and there are three candidates in the running: Siân Berry, Emily O’Brien, and Dan Rue.

Sian is a former co-leader and principal speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales, and has been their candidate for Mayor of London three times, coming third in both 2016 and 2021. She is a councillor in north London and has no known links to Brighton.

Emily is a senior councillor in Lewes District, and Cabinet Member for Climate, Nature & Food Systems, and is already the party’s Parliamentary candidate for Lewes. She has worked in Brighton & Hove’s community and voluntary sector for over 20 years.

Dan is the only candidate who is currently a resident in Brighton Pavilion having moved to the city eight years ago. He was unsuccessful in the recent local elections. A graduate of the University of Brighton Business School, he now works in the city as a sales executive in the IT industry.

I doubt that whoever is selected as the candidate will be able to defend the seat successfully. The issue is who will make the least negative impact at a time when being a Green candidate locally does not promise oodles of success.

Dan has the disadvantage of being a complete unknown who made little impact in the local elections. Sian has no know links to the city while being heavily committed to London. She will be seen as a carpetbagger and an opportunist who is being parachuted in from afar. Because of her vocal opposition to single-sex facilities, she will certainly not win back support for the Greens from many women and men who have been alienated by the Green Party’s record and current policies.

Emily, probably, has the most going for her. Because of her work over many years within the local community and voluntary sector, she is know in the city and knows it well notwithstanding the fact she is a Lewes councillor and the Greens’ current candidate in that constituency. It would not say much about her reliability should she drop one commitment when a better offer comes along. 

But I know that Green activists who will choose the candidate don’t take my forecasts seriously. They scoffed at my prediction of a catastrophic collapse in their support in May’s local elections. In fact, the result for the Greens was much worse than even I had forecast. So for the benefit of the Greens, I have consulted AI (artificial intelligence) on who is likely to be the Green’s strongest candidate.

I entered a clear brief and the relevant data into an AI website. I asked for a 300 word summary of which Green was most likely to successfully defend Caroline Lucas’s seat. Within seconds I was furnished with three names, none of which I recognised, and included none of the three candidates who have been shortlisted. 

I refined the brief. A new name was mentioned. The AI bot told me: “There are a few contenders, but one name stands out: Phélim Mac Cafferty.” It talks about his qualities and that he has “a proven track record of success in Brighton and Hove.” Having lost the recent local elections, perhaps Artificial Intelligence is not as intelligent as we are led to believe.

So I tried again and this was the ‘intelligent’ response I received – again three names of individuals not shortlisted and who did not, for all I know, ever put themselves forward: “Whether it is Sol Taylor’s expertise in cooperative business models, Olivia Calvert’s practical approach to environmental policy, or Hannah Clare’s record of public service, the Green Party can rest assured that their legacy in Brighton Pavilion is in good hands.” Hmmm.

When I tried to get clarification on who ‘Sol Taylor’ was (“a former local councillor and MEP”, I was informed) it became apparent that the AI bot was referring to Keith Taylor who sadly passed away much too young in October last year at the age of just 69.

A different attempt in using this AI software on the challenges facing Brighton and Hove produced a well-informed, if somewhat clunky, article. It lacked nuance and any personal reflections. I had feared that AI might make this columnist redundant. But the failure to provide anything remotely worthwhile about the Green’s selection process has reassured me that there is still some use for human intelligence.  Artificial Intelligence cannot, yet, reflect ‘mood music’, or the ebb and flow of public attitudes and perceptions. Long may that last.

Whoever is chosen as the Green Party’s candidate when the ballot closes later today will have an uphill battle, and they should not expect to win.

Who will succeed Caroline Lucas as MP for Brighton Pavilion?

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 14th June 2023)

Caroline Lucas has, deservedly, received fulsome praise following her decision to stand down at the next election as the Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion. She enjoys huge respect across the political spectrum and her departure will be a loss for Brighton and Hove. She will, no doubt, continue to make her mark on public debate and policy as she, as Tony Benn said when he stood down from Parliament, spends “more time devoted to politics and more freedom to do so.”

For thirteen years Caroline has been the lone standard bearer for her party in the Commons. She has twice been the Green Party’s Leader as well as being the most dedicated constituency MP.

The strengths and stature of Caroline, the Greens’ greatest asset, could now become its biggest problem. Who do they have in their ranks who can live up to her qualities. By all comparisons, whoever is chosen to stand for Brighton Pavilion, will be a poor imitation of the real thing, and likely to lose the seat.

Of course the Greens will say that they have an abundance of talent and that there are many capable, keen and available to succeed Caroline. They would say that, wouldn’t they?  The Greens locally have been blessed with a generous abundance of mediocracy, and nationwide they will be looking for talent in the shallow end of U.K. politics.

Should the Greens try to parachute someone in from outside, unless it is someone of extraordinary abilities and a well-known name, they will surely lose. And, anyway, which celebrity candidate would consider for a moment a four or five-year sentence in solitary confinement in that prison known as the House of Commons?

Had Caroline stood for re-election, she would have been re-elected albeit with a much reduced majority (as I said in this column a few weeks back). The reduced majority would be caused, in part, by the inevitable swing to Labour (notwithstanding its lacklustre and increasingly authoritarian leader, Sir Keir Starmer). There is also the Greens’ track record while in office in Brighton and Hove as well as in Scotland, and their alienation of large numbers of women and male sympathisers over their lack of support for single-sex facilities for women.

I cannot see how the Greens can hope to hold onto the seat at the general election. Attention then turns to who the Labour candidate will be. One name that has been mentioned is that of the new Leader of the Council, Bella Sankey. But Caroline’s decision to stand down at this forthcoming election has come too soon for Cllr Sankey. There is a view, which I have previously expressed and which is shared by some in the Labour Group on the City Council, that Bella must see though the commitment she has made to the people of Brighton and Hove by serving as leader for the full four-years of this administration.

There are those, new to electoral politics who, flushed by the success of having been elected for the first time, immediately stand for leadership positions and then, before being tested, seek a parliamentary seat. Notwithstanding this, I have been very impressed by Bella Sankey’s first few weeks as Leader of the Council. She has communicated well, not made unnecessary changes designed merely to consolidate her control, and has brought forward talent from both old and new councillors. In time, she will make an excellent MP, even a Minister, but the vacancy in Brighton Pavilion has come one election cycle too soon.

Another possibility to be Labour’s candidate is Nancy Platts who must be one of the unluckiest politicians of our age – standing unsuccessfully in Brighton Pavilion against Caroline Lucas in 2010, then narrowly losing out in Brighton Kemptown in 2015, before losing the leadership on the Council following the implosion of the Labour Group through no fault of her own. It would be fitting and proper if she was to become the next MP for Brighton Pavilion. 

Nancy is well-liked, has a good reputation and would make a first rate MP. However, she is probably unacceptable to Supreme Leader Starmer because of her close association with Jeremy Corbyn when he was Labour’s leader and she was his trade union liaison officer. Labour’s Achilles Heal could be the sacrifice of talent in the pursuit of ‘purity’. Nancy could be a case in point.

As for the Conservatives, hell will freeze over before they, once again, win Brighton Pavilion. Perhaps they could put up a name, a big name. It would have to be a very big name capable of defying all electoral odds.  Who knows, following his petulant resignation last Friday as the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, one Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, might soon be looking for a return to the Commons.