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UK General Election sees two Sussex alumni join new Labour Cabinet and a further ten alumni elected to Parliament
By: Stephanie Allen
Last updated: Wednesday, 14 August 2024
Phil Hearing on Unsplash
The UK General Election, in which Labour won a landslide victory, has seen 12 University of Sussex alumni elected to Parliament, taking seats across five political parties.
This includes two members of Keir Starmer’s first Cabinet – Dr Peter Kyle as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology and Hilary Benn as Northern Ireland Secretary.
The University of Sussex alumni elected in the 2024 elections are:
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Kemi Badenoch (Systems Engineering MEng, 2003), North West Essex, Conservative (incumbent)
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Hilary Benn (Russian and Eastern European Studies BA, 1974), Leeds South, Labour (incumbent)
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Polly Billington (History and French BA, 1990), East Thanet, Labour
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Ellie Chowns (Geography and Environmental Studies with Development Studies BA, 1997) North Herefordshire, Green
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Andrew George (Geography BA, 1980), St Ives, Liberal Democrats
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Dr Peter Kyle (Geography and Environmental Studies with Development Studies BA, 1999 & DPhil, 2003), Hove and Portslade, Labour (incumbent)
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James McMurdock (Economics, 2010), South Basildon and East Thurrock, Reform
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Caroline Nokes (Politics/International Relations BA, 1994), Romsey and Southampton North, Conservative (incumbent)
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Dan Norris (Social Work MA, 1988) East Somerset and Hanham, Labour
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Sarah Owen (International Relations BA, 2004 & Human Rights MA, 2006), Luton North, Labour (incumbent)
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Matt Rodda (History BA, 1989), Reading Central, Labour (incumbent)
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Lauren Sullivan (PGCE in Secondary Chemistry, 2014), Gravesham, Labour
Through these elected candidates, Sussex can be seen contributing to the success of the smaller political parties, as well as the three larger, long-established parties, with a broad spectrum of political views.
Meanwhile, longstanding Conservative MP and Sussex alum (Operations Research MSc) Michael Fabricant lost his Lichfield seat, having served as Member of Parliament since 1992.
Sussex also had three students running as parliamentary candidates. Issy Waite, at just 21, who is currently completing a dissertation in International Relations, was Labour's youngest parliamentary candidate and narrowly lost out to Conservative leadership hopeful and Sussex alumni Kemi Badenoch, in the North West Essex constituency by 2,610 votes.
In the newly contested constituency of East Grinstead and Uckfield, a Sussex triple-header saw student Ben Cox (who is studying Politics) run for Labour against Sussex alumni Christina Coleman (Green Party) and Benedict Dempsey (Liberal Democrats) but who all ultimately lost out to Conservative challenger and former Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work, Mims Davies.
Another Sussex student, Cas Lay (who is studying International Relations) also stood for the Green Party in North Devon. University of Sussex alumni Alex Bulat in Huntingdon (Labour), Stephen McAuliffe in Arundel and South Downs (Green Party) and two staff members also stood but were unsuccessful in their election bids.
Prof Sasha Roseneil, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, said:
“Sussex alumni, staff and students have a strong reputation for standing up for what they believe in and for making valuable contributions to their local communities. It was fantastic to see so many Sussex names among the 2024 parliamentary candidates, with a record 12 alumni successfully retaining or claiming seats in their respective constituencies.
“Among those who stood were three current Sussex students. While not elected, they demonstrated great dedication to their communities by running – sometimes standing against Sussex alumni too.
“The candidature of members of the University of Sussex community for five political parties (Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green, and Reform) at this general election, and the election of members of each of these parties, highlights the political diversity that exists at Sussex. As a university, freedom of speech and academic freedom are foundational to our work, and at Sussex we embrace diversity of background, belief, identity, and thought. We encourage our staff and students to think critically, to engage in meaningful debate and respectful discussion, to stand true to their beliefs, and to contribute positively to the world around them.
“These skills are essential in politics, as in work and life, and we look forward to seeing our alumni making real change in their new roles as MPs.”