General Election 2024: Hampstead and Highgate candidates

The constituency of Hampstead and Highgate will be of keen interest when people go to the polls on July 4 as it is seen as a marginal seat.

Re-established in 2023 for the 2024 election, it replaces the former Hampstead and Kilburn constituency held by Labour candidate Tulip Siddiq since 2015.

Hampstead and Kilburn was itself held by just 42 votes by Glenda Jackson when it was created in 2010 to replace the Hampstead and Highgate seat she had represented since 1992.

The constituency now covers Highgate, Belsize, Fortune Green, Frognal, Gospel Oak, Hampstead Town, Kilburn, Primrose Hill, South Hampstead and West Hampstead.

There are seven candidates fighting for the seat. 

To help you make your decision, we have put together a guide explaining who the candidates are, in alphabetical order, what they stand for, and what their three top priorities are.

Catherine Becker - Reform UK

Catherine Becker, Reform Party (Image: Catherine Becker)

I have lived in West Hampstead and Hampstead all my adult life.

Like many locals, I've watched with frustration as our area has deteriorated under years of Labour leadership locally and Conservative governments nationally.

I'm not a career politician, I come from a successful business background as a CEO, where practical solutions and efficiency are key.

Reform UK offers well thought-out policies on crime, the economy and public services, as well as tackling difficult issues such as immigration and energy.  

Three top priorities:

1. Cut tax to make work pay. No income tax under £20k and no interest on student loans.
2. Safer streets. Triple police on the street and end two-tier policing and toxicity in police to deliver a more inclusive, motivating, well run police force to protect us. 
3. Zero NHS waiting lists. More funding and support for junior doctors and nurses and incentivise consultants to stay in NHS not retire

Christie Elan-Cane - Rejoin EU

Christie Elan-Cane, Rejoin EU (Image: Christie Elan-Cane)

I am a writer, campaigner and accidental parliamentary lobbyist.

I became involved with the Rejoin EU Party out of despair at the mainstream opposition parties’ acceptance of Brexit and their outright rejection of any move towards restoring our freedom of movement and other benefits associated with being in the European Union.

We are small but aiming high and holding the mainstream to account for their failure to support a sizeable majority in London and in many parts of the country who see Brexit for what it is and want us to regain our rightful place within the EU.

Brexit was an appalling crime committed by a rogue government against its own people, many of whom were deceived into voting against their own interests.

Eight years on from an ill-advised referendum and we are all poorer in every respect. And we’ve lost free movement. We are effectively trapped in a Brexit doom loop while the rest of the world thinks we are mad. I do not accept the situation. I will not ‘move on’.

I’m not interested in the ‘benefits of Brexit’ because there are none. I want my EU Citizenship restored. I want to see positive movement in that direction. The mainstream opposition parties’ silence on Brexit is an insult and a betrayal both to those who fought to Remain and to those who now realize they were lied to.

Scott Emery - Liberal Democrats

Scott Emery, Liberal Democrat (Image: Scott Emery)

For nearly a decade, I have passionately defended this part of north London, the place I call home.

Our strong and vibrant communities make our part of London such a special place to live.

Originally from Wales, I moved to North London nine years ago and spent seven years working for a company that supplied implants to our NHS.

Now, I am completing a degree in sustainable engineering at Queen Mary University.

We faced extremely tight deadlines as we worked with an NHS run into the ground after years of Conservative party mismanagement.

Last year, the company – like so many others – relocated abroad, due to the UK’s weakened ties with Europe because of Brexit.

As a twice-elected local Lib Dem councillor, I’ve fought against the polluting Edmonton Incinerator and successfully campaigned to remove single use plastics from council buildings.

I have championed our council to be the first in the country to call for care experience to become a protected characteristic in law – something I’m particularly proud of.

We are the only party seriously talking about social care and I’m delighted to see it take such a prominent role in our manifesto.

Top Three Priorities

• The Environment - planting 60m more trees, 90% of our energy to be from renewables and cleaning our rivers and seas
• Housing - it's impossible to get on the housing ladder, that's why we're building 380,000 new homes a year including 100,000 social homes 
• NHS - We need proper investment in our health service and our pledge comes with a promise to see your GP within 7 days or 24 if it's an emergency 

Jonathan Livingstone - Independent

Jonathan Livingstone, Independent (Image: Jonathan Livingstone)

I live in Hampstead with my wife and two children who both go to local schools. 

I grew up in Scotland, also have French nationality and am a member of Belsize Square Synagogue.

I have been an activist since shortly before the Brexit referendum when I joined campaign groups as I was concerned about its impact. I am a chartered accountant and have worked in financial services for 25 years.

I am proud to be the only independent candidate in this constituency and am standing on a leaseholder rights platform.

As a result of leasehold issues, I was a mortgage prisoner between 2021 and 2023 which resulted in a failed completion during an attempted remortgage and for part of that time I was also classified as being vulnerable by my lender.

The system can leave hard working leaseholders at the mercy of freeholders or unscrupulous lawyers and is not fit for purpose.  I am calling for the ending of forfeiture windfalls, making service charge fraud a criminal offence, outlawing predatory lease terms (such as escalating ground rents), and giving stronger rights to leaseholders wanting to renovate their homes and so help meet net zero targets.

As a single-issue candidate, a vote for me will send a very clear message that we need real change in the leasehold system and, at a time when Sir John Curtice notes that trust and confidence in government are as low as they have ever been, more broadly that manifesto commitments must be met.

Lorna Russell - Green Party

Lorna Jane Russell, Green Party (Image: Lorna Jane Russell)

I have lived in the constituency for more than a decade and have spent an impressive nine years there as a Camden councillor.

Currently a Green Party councillor in Highgate, I previously represented Fortune Green on Camden Council from 2014 - 2022 as a Labour Party representative.

I also served as the borough's deputy mayor from 2021 to 2022.

I am a trustee of a local community centre in West Hampstead and I serve on the committee of my tenants and residents' association in Highgate.

With an unwavering dedication to environmental causes and a proven track record of community engagement, I am bringing a fresh perspective and a commitment to creating a greener and more sustainable future for all.

I am running to give voters a choice in this election to vote for a party that champions both people and planet - for real hope, and real change. 

Top three priorities:

• Addressing the cost of living crisis and ensuring that everyone has access to high-quality, affordable housing
• Significantly increasing investment in our vital public services - from the NHS, to schools, to our public transport system
• Tackling climate change to safeguard the future of our planet
   

Tulip Siddiq - Labour

Tulip Siddiq, Labour Party (Image: Jon Armstrong)

Since I was first elected as an MP in 2015, I have fought hard for my constituents and local services, including leading a successful campaign to stop the closure of the children’s A&E at the Royal Free.

One of the most notable cases I worked on was getting my constituent, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, home after she was unlawfully imprisoned in Iran for six years. 

This area is part of who I am and I'll always fight for it. As I have done over the past decade, I will continue to campaign on the issues that matter to Hampstead and Highgate, from tackling climate change to delivering affordable housing.

As Labour’s shadow economic secretary to the Treasury, I have been holding the Tories to account for their disastrous handling of the economy and cost-of-living crisis.

But the only way to bring about real change is by electing a Labour Government on July 4, and that's why I'm standing here.

Three top priorities are:

1. Fixing our broken public services, and particularly the NHS, which has been run so far into the ground by the Tories that it's now near impossible to get an appointment. I also want neighbourhood police back on our streets and give our schools the resources they need.
2. Making life easier for those who are struggling to make ends meet, whether that's by tackling the Tories' cost-of-living crisis or making sure that our government actually builds the homes we need so that people can afford to live in our wonderful area.
3. Building a strong economy that delivers growth and creates jobs in the green industries of the future. I hope to support a Labour government in delivering economic stability and growth, not least by making the UK a world leader in clean power and green tech.

Don Williams - Conservative

Don Williams, Conservative Party (Image: Don Williams)

My journey began in Kingston, Montreal, Barcelona and north London. My multicultural upbringing - combined with my family’s values of thrift, hard work, and responsibility - have profoundly shaped my perspectives.

This unique blend of experiences has equipped me to understand and bridge cultural divides, making me an inclusive and empathetic leader for our diverse community.

Having been a Swiss Cottage councillor for 16 years, my commitment to Hampstead and Highgate is unquestionable.

I have been a governor of the Royal Free, a school governor and a steadfast campaigner against the present plans to knock down the O2 Centre. The plans are not in keeping with the area and run counter to residents’ expressed desires on shopping.

My career spans finance and international consultancy and a stint in the food sector, giving me a wide understanding of local, national and international businesses.

My top priorities include:

• Standing up for my neighbours against Sadiq Khan’s and Labour’s attack on the motorist (eg: the 20mph limit on the Finchley Road) and his terrible record on crime – car crime, burglaries and knife crime.
• Fight Labour’s tax agenda, spoken and unspoken. Don opposes the imposition of VAT on school fees, the unspoken big rise in council tax, and the imposition of capital gains tax on the sale of your own home.
• Advocate for tax relief and reductions for the employed and self employed while pushing for further tax relief for small businesses on our high streets. Extra money in people’s pockets is crucial in securing a deposit for buying one’s own home.