Labour has revealed its new candidates for the July 4 general election in two south Buckinghamshire constituencies.
Chris Chilton will represent the party in Chesham and Amersham, while Matthew Patterson has been selected for Beaconsfield.
The pair will hope to replace the incumbent Liberal Democrat and Conservative candidates in their respective areas.
Their official selection follows the prime minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement last week that the general election will take place on July 4.
With less than five weeks to go, Chilton has made his case for being elected the next MP for Chesham and Amersham.
In a statement, he said: “I am delighted to be selected as the Labour Party candidate for Chesham and Amersham and look forward to being elected as the first ever Labour MP to represent the seat.”
The MP hopeful has lived in the Hazlemere part of the constituency for the last 17 years with his wife and four children and claims to ‘fully understand the issues faced by local residents’.
If elected, Chilton said his priorities will be to:
- Tackle the cost-of-living crisis
- Ensure that everyone has access to a doctor and dentist when they need it
- Improve education opportunities for all young people
- Cut crime and save our high streets
- Create a fairer greener society including tackling sewage dumping in local rivers
Labour’s new candidate added: “It will be an enormous privilege to serve this community. I promise to help and support all constituents in every way I can and to act with the highest standards of honesty and integrity.”
Patterson has been approached for comment. On X (formerly twitter), the politician describes himself as a ‘special educational needs and disabilities parent and carer’ interested in international and UK politics and diplomacy.
In recent months, he has been out campaigning for other Labour candidates, including in Buckingham and Bletchley.
At the general election, he will go up against fellow Beaconsfield candidates Joy Morrissey (Conservative), Anna Crabtree (Liberal Democrats), Dominick Pegram (Green) and John Halsall (Reform UK).
Meanwhile, in Chesham and Amersham, Chilton will take on Gareth Williams (Conservative), Sarah Green (Liberal Democrats), Carolyne Culver (Green) and Laurence Jarvis (Reform UK).
If elected, Chilton and Patterson would be the first Labour MPs to represent their respective constituencies.
Chesham and Amersham taken by Green in the 2021 by-election but before that was a safe Conservative seat.
Morrissey comfortably held Beaconsfield for the Conservatives with a majority of 15,712 in the 2019 general election.
