A former BBC journalist and then media director for MP Ed Miliband has been selected by Labour to fight for what is currently the South Thanet seat in the next general election.
Boundary Commission changes mean proposals are for new constituencies of East Thanet taking in Ramsgate, Broadstairs and most of Margate but Westbrook, Birchington, Garlinge, Thanet villages wards and Westgate would come under a Herne Bay and Sandwich County Constituency.
Polly Billington, 55, is also a director of UK100 and a councillor in Hackney.
On Saturday she was chosen as the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, beating local contenders Rob Yates, Charlotte Cornell as well as activist Phil Wheeler of Tunbridge Wells.
On why she is standing, Polly says: “The next general election is our chance to end the austerity, chaos and mismanagement of the last 13 years. But if we want a Labour government, we need to elect a Labour MP right here in South Thanet. It’s a big task but together we can do it.
“Whether born or drawn here, people love this place, and rightly so — it has so much going for it; its landscape, its history and above all its people. But Thanet has borne the brunt of rapid change and Tory neglect. Fewer good jobs, creaking public services. Spiralling house prices and unregulated AirBnB. Our seas and rivers polluted for profit. A moral outrage in the government’s treatment of people at Manston. It doesn’t have to be like this; I’ll unite everyone to beat Craig Mackinlay.
“As a BBC journalist, I shone a light on wrongdoing. but it wasn’t enough, I wanted to make a difference. As a campaigner, councillor, and trade union rep — I got things done. Challenging welfare cuts tackling violence against women and girls, fighting for better terms and conditions, and securing new council homes.
“As a parliamentary candidate, I beat UKIP in one of their target seats. Drawing upon my work for the last Labour government, I now run my own climate action network, bringing forward the Green New Deal we all need.
“To beat the Tories here, we don’t just need one more heave. We need to intensify our campaigning efforts, bringing the focus of the national Party to South Thanet. As your Labour candidate and MP, I’ll work with the whole Thanet Labour team, building on your successes. I’ve done that before and I can do it again, here, with you.”
Polly says she is campaigning for new council homes, cracking down on bad landlords, creating new and better jobs, protecting our coastline, and rebuilding our National Health Service.
General Election
The current Parliament first met on December 17, 2019, meaning it will be dissolved on December 17, 2024, at the end of the five year term.
Polling day would take place 25 days later, meaning the next general election due to take place in January 2025.
In the 2019 General Election Conservative Craig Mackinlay took the South Thanet seat with more than 56% of the vote.
He polled 27,084 votes, some 10,587 ahead of nearest competitor Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt who gained 16,497 votes.
Veteran Conservative Sir Roger Gale, who has held the North Thanet seat since 1983, was elected with 30,066 votes – equalling 62% of the poll. Labour’s Dr Coral Jones took 12,877 – 27%.
Sir Roger has confirmed he will be standing again in the next General Election for the revised Herne Bay and Sandwich seat.
Review of constituencies
The Boundary Commission has been undertaking an independent review of all constituencies in England as requested by Parliament. The number of electors within each constituency currently varies widely due to population changes since the last boundary review.
The Boundary Review will rebalance the number of electors each MP represents, resulting in significant change to the existing constituency map. As part of the review, the number of constituencies in England will increase from 533 to 543.
The Commission will analyse responses from last year’s public consultation and form its final recommendations to be submitted to Parliament by 1 July.
