Liberal Democrats announce candidate for new East Grinstead and Uckfield seat in next general election

Environmental policy expert to be their MP candidate for the new constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield.

Liberal Democrats have nominated Benedict Dempsey, 44, who is a former District Councillor (2019 to 2023), to contest the seat at the next general election.

The party stated that Ben grew up in Haywards Heath and went to Oxford University before living in London for ten years before moving back to Sussex 14 years ago to raise his family. 

He said: “If I am elected, I will represent the people of East Grinstead and Uckfield with the outward-looking, tolerant, liberal-minded politics that has been so sorely lacking in recent years. I have lived in Sussex for most of my life, and want to champion the issues that matter to local people. In particular, I will campaign to change the government’s planning system – putting more power in the hands of communities and taking it away from the big developers. That is the only way to tackle our housing crisis, by building the kind of green, affordable homes people actually need, not just the ones that make the most profit for large corporations.”

He went on to say that the Lib Dems aim to tackle the cost of living crisis, stop sewage getting into rivers, and restore political standards and the rule of law.