2026 Sussex and Brighton mayoral election

2026 Sussex and Brighton mayoral election

7 May 2026 (2026-05-07) 2030 →

Con Lib Candidate Katy Bourne Ben Dempsey Rachel Millward Party Conservative Liberal Democrats Green   Ind Candidate Martin Webb Party 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, Green and Liberal Democrat parties have all announced candidates, with Labour due to announce their candidate in November 2025. One independent candidate, Martin Webb, is also standing. ^[2] It is also expected that Reform UK will stand a candidate.

Conservative Party

The Conservative Party selected Katy Bourne as their candidate in August 2025. ^[3] She has been the police and crime commissioner for Sussex 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. ^[4] 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. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Independent candidates

Martin Webb will stand as an independent candidate. Webb is an entrepreneur and former business columnist for the Sunday Telegraph. ^{[8] [9]}

Labour Party

The Labour Party is due to complete their selection process for their candidate in November 2025, with two candidates in the running. ^[10]

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats announced that Ben Dempsey had been selected as their candidate in September 2025. ^[11] Dempsey was a councillor in 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?". SussexWorld. 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
3. "Conservatives select candidate to be first mayor of Sussex". Brighton and Hove News. 2025-07-31. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
4. "'This is our moment' - South East Green Party members". BBC News. 2025-10-05. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
5. "Councillor details - Councillor Rachel Millward". council.wealden.gov.uk. 2025-10-25. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
6. Name. "Wealden District Council". Wealden District Council. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
7. Full Council - Wednesday 14 May 2025, 11:00am - Start video at 0:01:59 - Wealden District Council webcasts . Retrieved 2025-10-25– via wealden.public-i.tv.
8. "Martin Webb stands for Sussex Mayor: 'A business-minded Independent candidate ready to lead Sussex into the future'". SussexWorld. 2025-09-03. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
9. "Who is Martin Webb? | Martin Webb for Sussex Mayor". Martin Webb. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
10. Green, Daniel (2025-10-22). "NEC member Cat Arnold excluded from Sussex mayor shortlist". LabourList. Retrieved 2025-10-25.
11. "New Lib Dem Candidate for Mayor of Sussex: 'We will win with unity, not division'". www.leweslibdems.org.uk. Retrieved 2025-10-25.