General Election 2024: Conservatives hail Hamble Valley campaign but Labour praises well-received candidate

Due to boundary changes, former Eastleigh MP Paul Holmes is standing in – and hoping to win – the newly-created Hamble Valley constituency. Jerry Hall, chairman of Hamble Valley Conservative Association, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service at the count at Fareham Leisure Centre: “It’s been lovely [on the doorstep], we’ve had a great time. It’s been hard work, we’ve had a few weeks of pounding the streets but we’ve enjoyed every minute of it. We’ll know the result very shortly.”

Andy Mooney, Labour’s secretary for the Hamble Valley constituency, said it had also gone well on the campaign trail for his party, adding lots of people recognise the need for change. We have a very good candidate and Labour has been very well received.”

The constituency includes Whiteley, Shedfield – taken from the former Meon Valley area, Chandler’s Ford – part of the old Winchester constituency, and Valley Park which has been transferred over from the Romsey and Southampton constituency. Hedge End and Hamble are also included in this new constituency. It has candidates from all the main parties with six candidates competing to be elected MP

While exit polls suggested a Labour landslide, with the party on course to scoop 410 seats and secure a majority of 170, it’s less easily to tell what will happen in Hamble Valley. In 2019, election results for the former Meon Valley constituency saw a Conservatives hold, with Liberal Democrats coming second and Labour third.

This constituency no longer exists, with a large proportion moved into the new Fareham and Waterlooville constituency, and the rest into an enlarged Winchester constituency and Horndean moved into the East Hampshire constituency. The candidates standing to become the newly formed Hamble Valley constituency’s first member of Parliament are:

Prad Bains – Liberal Democrats

Caroline Gladwin – Reform UK

Binka Griffin- Hampshire Independents

Paul Holmes – Conservative Party

Kate Needham – Green Party

Devina Paul – Labour Party