Liberal Democrats pick candidate to fight next general election in Horsham

He was adopted as the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) following a selection process which concluded in a local hustings and vote at the beginning of February.

Mr Milne is currently both a West Sussex County (WSCC) representing Horsham Riverside and Horsham District (HDC) Councillor for Roffey North.

He says he hopes to use this local knowledge as his main weapon in the next general election.

He added: “The message is simple. In Horsham, the only way to stop the Conservatives winning again is to vote Lib Dem.”

He grew up in Epsom. After winning a scholarship to Oxford University, his career as a copywriter for an international advertising agency took him from London to Dublin. Eventually he returned with his family to Pulborough to help care for his parents. He got to know our constituency well, driving his son from one muddy football match to another across Horsham district.

After another move to Horsham town, he joined Forest Neighbourhood Council and was later approached to run as a Liberal Democrat candidate for HDC in 2019. He won his seat from the Conservatives and two years later was also elected as a WSCC councillor.

He described his first objective is to show the difference the Lib Dems can make in power, by winning control of Horsham District Council in the May elections.

As for the next general election he believes it will be fought mainly on the economy and the intense pressure on basic livelihoods and suggested the ‘lingering impact’ of the Brexit vote, in which Horsham voted Remain, will also likely continue to form part of the debate.

He said: “It’s certainly true that many voters are suffering from severe buyer’s remorse over Brexit. But wishing you voted another way back in 2016 doesn’t necessarily amount to enthusiasm for a repeat referendum battle…I’m a supporter of Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey’s gradualist approach, which would bring us closer to our nearest and largest trading partner, the EU.”

When it comes to policy areas he wants to ‘start local and work forwards on behalf of our local residents’.

In Horsham this means addressing the strong feelings on development reducing green spaces. He questioned the Conservative line in Horsham that only they could stop top-down targets imposed by their own party nationally.

He will push to move the argument away from an ‘obsessive’ focus on sites and start talking about benefits, with the Lib Dems’ priority on delivering affordable homes for all budges.

He also wants councils to build partnerships with developers and even take direct financial stakes in projects to give them more control over site choice, guaranteed infrastructure delivery and genuinely affordable housing.

Mr Milne, who is deputy group leader of HDC’s Lib Dems and serves on the Local Party executive, added: “I believe in local, and I intend to stand on my track record as a local councillor. Our current MP Jeremy Quin is here for his career. I’m here for Horsham.”