General Election: Conservatives hold Bexhill & Battle

Kieran Mullan, who was selected as at Conservative parliamentary candidate last month, was elected MP for the constituency.

He got 16,186 votes, a majority of 2,657.

Mr Mullan, 41, served as the MP for Crew and Nantwich in Cheshire from 2019.

He was announced as the Conservative candidate last month ahead of the General Election following the announcement by Huw Merriman, who was first elected as MP for Bexhill & Battle in 2015, that he intended to step down.

Last month after he was chosen by the Bexhill and Battle Conservative Association to contest the seat, Mr Mullan said: “I’m not a typical politician. I think we need more MPs who know what it’s like on the front line of public services and have experience of the real world. You don’t get much more real world than being a doctor in A&E or volunteering as a policeman and I have done both.”

“My mum was a nurse and my dad a policeman and I got into politics to represent ordinary families like mine so people can count on me to be a voice for them.”

After he was elected, Mr Mullan said: “I want to take a moment to recognise each of the candidates for being willing to stand. Sadly politics has become more fractious and it takes more and more courage to be willing to put your head above the parapet.

“And standing to be a candidate is also a team effort. Can I give my sincere thanks to each and every member of my team – those who helped for an hour, those who helped for many many more hours than that. I absolutely couldn’t have done this without you and I also couldn’t have done it without the support of my family.

“I am now your MP, however you voted and I promise to work hard for you and keep you at the front of my mind. It is a privilege to serve as an MP and to serve as your MP.

“I know you want your roads fixed, your countryside and waters protected, your NHS improved, your local high streets revitalised and much more. I won’t be able to get everyone everything they want. But I know all you want to see is that I try my best.”

The full results were as follows: Kieran Mullan (Conservative), 16,186; Christine Bayliss (Labour), 13,529; Ian Gribbin (Reform UK), 7,929; Becky Jones (Liberal Democrat), 3,473; Jonathan Kent (Green), 2,972; Abul Azad (Independent), 2,206; Jeff Newnham (Independent), 769; Julia Long (Party of Women), 332; Nigel Jacklin (Independent Network) 210; Colin Sullivan (UKIP) 144.

In neighbouring Hastings & Rye, Labour and the Co-Operative candidate, Helena Dollimore was elected as the new MP, unseating Sally-Ann Hart, who served as Conservative MP since 2019.

Ms Dollimore received 19,134 votes, a majority of 8,653.