2026 Sussex and Brighton mayoral election

2026 Sussex and Brighton mayoral election

7 May 2026 (2026-05-07) 2030 →

Lab Con Lib Candidate Caroline Baxter Katy Bourne Ben Dempsey Party Labour Conservative Liberal Democrats   Ind Candidate Rachel Millward Martin Webb Party Green Independent

Mayor before election Did not exist Elected mayor TBD

The 2026 Sussex and Brighton mayoral election is due to be held on 7 May 2026 to elect the inaugural mayor of Sussex and Brighton who will lead the Sussex and Brighton Combined Authority. ^[1]

Candidates

The Conservative Party, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Labour Party have all announced candidates. One independent candidate, Martin Webb, is also standing. ^[2] It is also expected that Reform UK will stand a candidate. ^[3]

Conservative Party

The Conservative Party selected Katy Bourne as their candidate in July 2025. ^[4] She has been the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner since 2012.

Green Party

In October 2025, the Green Party of England and Wales announced that their deputy leader Rachel Millward, had been selected as their candidate. ^[5] Millward has officially been the deputy leader of Wealden District Council since May 2025, although in practice she co-leads the council alongside the Liberal Democrat leader James Partridge, with the two swapping official titles annually since 2023. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Independent candidates

Martin Webb will stand as an independent candidate. Webb is an entrepreneur and former business columnist for The Sunday Telegraph . ^{[9] [10]}

Labour Party

The Labour Party announced that Caroline Baxter had been selected as their candidate in November 2025. ^[3] Baxter represents Central ward and Worthing East ward on Worthing Borough Council and West Sussex County Council respectively. ^[11]

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats announced that Ben Dempsey had been selected as their candidate in September 2025. ^[12] Dempsey was a councillor for Hassocks ward on Mid Sussex District Council between 2019 and 2023, and finished in second place in the East Grinstead and Uckfield constituency at the 2024 general election.

References

1. "Sussex mayoral election to go ahead in May 2026". BBC News. 2025-07-17. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
2. "Who are the Prospective 2026 Sussex Mayoral Candidates?". Sussex Express . 15 September 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
3. "Labour announces candidates for mayoral contests in Sussex and Hampshire". ITV News. 10 November 2025. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
4. "Conservatives select candidate to be first mayor of Sussex". Brighton and Hove News. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
5. "'This is our moment' - South East Green Party members". BBC News. 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
6. "Councillor details - Councillor Rachel Millward". council.wealden.gov.uk. 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
7. Name. "Wealden District Council". Wealden District Council. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
8. Full Council - Wednesday 14 May 2025, 11:00am - Start video at 0:01:59 - Wealden District Council webcasts . Retrieved 25 October 2025– via wealden.public-i.tv.
9. "Martin Webb stands for Sussex Mayor: 'A business-minded Independent candidate ready to lead Sussex into the future'". Sussex Express. 3 September 2025. Archived from the original on 18 November 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
10. "Who is Martin Webb? | Martin Webb for Sussex Mayor". Martin Webb official website. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
11. le Duc, Frank (10 November 2025). "Labour picks candidate for Sussex mayoral election". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
12. "New Lib Dem Candidate for Mayor of Sussex: 'We will win with unity, not division'". Lewes Liberal Democrats. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.