We don’t know when the next general election will be, but here’s what we know so far about candidates likely to be standing in the Southampton Test constituency, which includes Portswood, Highfield and St Denys.

 

It’s thought likely but unconfirmed that incumbent MP and shadow minister for energy and climate change Dr Alan Whitehead, left, will defend the seat for Labour. He first won it from Tory James Hill in 1997.

At the last general election in 2017 Whitehead increased his 3,810 majority, beating Conservative Paul Holmes by 11,503 votes.

This time Conservatives have selected Millbrook councillor Steven Galton, right, as their candidate.

Galton says on Facebook he’s frustrated by the “anti-democratic way the EU referendum hasn’t been honoured” but the next election “can and should be about more than Brexit” (you can read Alan Whitehead’s view on the state of Brexit play, as of September 10, on his site here by the way).

Snapping at the Tories’ heels is retired army officer and business person Philip Crook, left, for the Brexit Party, which says it “stands ready” to fight a general election with a full slate of candidates in the UK’s 650 constituencies.

Crook comments: “The Conservative and Labour Parties have lost touch with you the voter and they believe that Parliament is supreme over your vote. We need to change politics for good, we need to give you back your vote and rebalance the power between the establishment and the voters.”

The upcoming general election will be “an opportunity for Southampton to say they want to Stop Brexit, and not let Boris’ no-deal Brexit damage port cities like ours”, according to Lib Dem candidate Joe Richards, right, in a September statement. The party’s policy is to revoke Article 50.

Meanwhile the Green Party candidate for Test will be Katherine Barbour, who withdrew from the 2017 election, the party deciding not to stand against Alan Whitehead “in the absence of a fair voting system in UK general elections” and because they said Whitehead had “a consistent record of supporting Green issues”.

Barbour is an advocate for those living with dementia, and campaigns on air quality and waterfront access issues, and the party is publicising a new campaign against the expansion of Southampton Airport on its website.

The party's one MP, Caroline Lucas, has been a vocal campaigner for another referendum and believes the UK should stay in the EU, according to this BBC roundup of all the parties' positions on Brexit last month.

The result of the 2017 general election in the Southampton Test constituancy was:

Alan Whitehead - Labour 27,509 – Elected
Paul Holmes - Conservatives 16,006
Thomas Gravatt - Liberal Democrats 1,892
Keith Morrell - Independent 680
Andrew Pope - Southampton Independents 816

The turnout was 67%.