Six candidates are standing for election to parliament to represent the Hove and Portslade constituency on Thursday 4 July 2024.
The six candidates are Sophie Broadbent (Green), Carline Deal (Conservative), Martin Hess (Reform UK), Peter Kyle (Labour), Tanushka Marah (Independent) and Michael Wang (Liberal Democrat).
Each candidate answered questions submitted by voters. Here are the answers from Labour candidate Peter Kyle, 53, who tweets as @PeterKyle. He posts on Instagram@PeterJKyle and his Facebook page is Peter Kyle.
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Why do you want to be an MP and how are you qualified for the role?
I had a terrible time at school. I left with no usable qualifications and the reading age of an eight-year-old.
I fought to get to university and had to overcome many barriers.
By refusing to accept “no”, I got into Sussex University and went on to a great career.
That’s why I feel qualified and why I’m driven to help others overcome barriers.
The role is a real privilege and I hope I’ve served our patch well since 2015 – I try hard to speak out for residents, help anyone struggling and to improve our area. I can’t wait for those new seafront public toilets to be opened!
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If elected, how would you deal with performance and pricing problems in privatised utilities such as the water companies, railways, energy companies and the Royal Mail?
I’ve been working hard to improve all these services but it’s been frustrating because I’m not in government and the problems are so deep.
Labour in government would form Great British Energy, a publicly-owned clean power company, to cut bills for good and boost energy security, paid for by a proper, time-limited windfall tax on oil and gas giants.
Labour will fully nationalise the train network within five years of coming to power, with a pledge to guarantee the cheapest fares.
We will give Ofwat the powers to ban bonus payments to water bosses.
We need to safeguard the Royal Mail as a British institution that works for workers and customers.
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What would you do to help people who are struggling to rent or buy a home? Should second homes or Airbnb-style holiday lets be banned?
Labour in government will protect our natural spaces and free up grey belt land for building more affordable homes for families.
In Hove and Portslade, I’m very proud that the council are returning more homes into our council housing stock and the Hyde Partnership for building new affordable housing continues at pace.
More than 2,000 houses and flats are “entire home / apartment” Airbnb rentals in our city and it’s too high and causes a lot of anti-social behaviour issues.
Short-term holiday lets stifle the supply of rented accommodation and in turn drive rents up and conditions down and I support the council in looking at ways to manage this.
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What steps would you take to improve hospital performance, community care and access to GPs for patients in Brighton and Hove?
The very first act of a new Labour government would be to cut NHS waiting times with 40,000 more appointments each week, during evenings and weekends, paid for by cracking down on tax avoidance and non-dom loopholes.
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Events in Israel and Gaza have affected many members of the community here. What can people in your constituency expect you to say and do as an MP?
As an MP and as a Labour Party we are very clear. There must be a ceasefire, and aid must get to Palestinians who need it so desperately.
The ruling of the Court of International Justice must be obeyed. Further advances into Palestine must stop.
Arms sales should be legal and only agreed by licence. Israel must heed the warning and demands of the international community.
The UK government must uphold its obligations to international law.
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Do you support building new homes and a replacement for King Alfred swimming pool in the Benfield Valley?
We desperately need a new leisure centre for residents. This is without debate – the current building is past its sell-by date and is falling down.
I want residents to have access to a modern, new facility that is available to everyone and offers a comprehensive range of activities.
I’m NOT in favour of anything being built in Benfield Valley but I’m in favour of any plan that gets this built somewhere soon – in the next five years.
I must stress that the council is running a very intensive consultation process on this.
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Polling stations are due to be open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 4 July. Photo ID is required for those voting in person.
