Eastbourne is a town of around 120,000 people. Eastbourne Constituency Labour Party has a membership of around 1000 people, including registered supporters.

Eastbourne was created as one of nine constituencies in Sussex in 1885. There has never been a Labour Party MP in Eastbourne. Since the seat’s creation it has been won by candidates from either the Conservative Party or the Liberal Democrats (and their early forebears, the Liberal Party and the Unionist Party).  For 94 years of the 20th Century, the seat was represented by Conservative MPs. It was a ‘safe’ seat.

Nowadays, Eastbourne is considered a very marginal seat, as well as a swing seat. Since 1997 its winner’s majority has been at most 7.86% of the vote; (with a 8.9% majority Tory re-gain took place in 1992). From 1910 until 1987 the seat returned Conservative Party candidates at every election. Since 2010 the seat has changed hands (between the two parties mentioned) all four possible times. The seat was re-won in 2019 by Conservative Party Caroline Ansell, who ousted Liberal Democrat Stephen Lloyd; she earlier did so in 2015.

So, you can see, we have our work cut out for us. There is a huge problem in Eastbourne with tactical voting. People will often say they would like to vote Labour but instead vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out.

We want to build a Britain that works for the majority. That means building the homes we need to rent and buy, keeping our communities safe, giving our schools the funding they need, and restoring the NHS to its place as the envy of the world.

We need your help to do this so please come and get involved to help build a Britain that works for the many and not the few.