General Election 2024: Plymouth Sutton and Devonport candidates hoping to become the next MP

Plymouth Sutton and Devonport constituents may be wondering who their local candidates are in this General Election, as they prepare to head to the polls on July 4.

The seat was previously held by Luke Pollard (Labour) with a 4,757 majority. Mr Pollard represented the seat since 2017 when he won it from the Conservatives.

We've listed all the candidates in the Plymouth Sutton and Devonport area below.

Peter Gold (Reform UK)

Among his policies is a focus on local representation instead of following demands made by his party. He said his priority was “Think local, act local. We will not improve PSD from Westminster.”

Listing his six key policies, he said they were:

• Safer streets for everyone.

• Stop polluting our sea and rivers.

• A centrally funded toll-free Tamar.

• Military pay and housing they deserve.

• Transform empty offices into affordable homes.

• Uncover the facts about the Armada Way budget.

He said: "Let’s be honest though; we've all lost trust in politicians who spend more time on political point-scoring and less time on real work.

"We need business people to fix the country, to hold the councils and the police to account, and to make sure our essential services such as water and housing are at a high standard to ensure the health and well-being of the community.

"This is why if I am elected I’ll be making LOCAL issues my priority, working with people, regardless of party, to get things done. No lame excuses, just hard work and focus."

Holly Greenberry-Pullen (Liberal Democrat)

Holly is a single mother of two girls who says she would bring to the constituency her energy and determination to make things better, a passion that has driven her throughout her adult life.

She said she understands the challenges people are facing in their daily lives, because she has shared them. “I’ve been there,” she says.

“It’s tough and I will fight for our needs locally. If elected, I pledge to make it my priority to instigate change where it is most needed."

Holly runs a small business and says she can "understand how tough it is for these businesses, constantly strangled by bureaucracy and spiralling costs holding back development.

“Young people and families are struggling with stress and anxiety in an impossible housing market, with escalating rents, utility bills and inflation. There is frustration within Plymouth over potholes, dirty beaches and water, empty shops and un- finished projects. We need to drive the city forward.”

In May 2024 Holly won the North Tavistock seat on West Devon Borough Council and is an active and vocal campaigner for the local community.

Robert Hawkins (Socialist Labour Party)

Robert gained his degree in Graphic Design from Plymouth University and has spent almost all his working years in the print industry. He is married with a young son and is keen on sport and making use of the local coastal advantages with his family.

He said: "There has been a vast deterioration in the quality and supply of water as a result of profiteering. We have seen huge rises in energy costs (electric, gas, petrol etc) State school buildings are crumbling with their teachers overworked and underpaid.

"The privatisation of transport institutions such as rail and bus services has also seen a vast deterioration in these services as funds are diverted to private pockets (often in overseas tax havens).

"Our sea borders are wide open to illegal immigration since we don't have the boats available to properly patrol them and there is no political will to do so. We can, however, send a few of them to patrol the South China Seas!

"We would bring in a minimum wage of £41,600 pounds per annum and a minimum state pension of £41,600 pounds per annum. This is easily affordable out of the three trillion pounds currently invested in life and private and occupational pensions.

"The existence of foodbanks and lack of affordable accommodation, especially for young people are a disgrace."

Cam Hayward (Green)

Cam currently works for an apprenticeship training provider and was recently elected as a councillor in Bristol.

He said: "I am standing to be your Green MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport because I want to build a more equal, inclusive, and sustainable future for our city and the country.

"I lived in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport for a decade, first coming as a student then staying and working in the hospitality sector. I know the city well and there is so much to love about Plymouth, but it also faces significant challenges.

"So often it is felt like Plymouth is forgotten about, cut off from the rest of the country, and left to fend for itself.

"I believe in a collaborative approach, so as your MP I will open channels of dialogue with constituents, community groups, and councillors to build consensus and find solutions to the pressing issues that people face."

Guy Haywood (Workers Party)

Guy, who has worked in Derriford hospital for over two decades, said: "Our money should be spent so that no child in this country lives in poverty, everyone has top class free education and our NHS is rebuilt to care for the population as it was always meant to, free and without waiting lists.

"The 10 point programme of the Workers Party spells out how we can support all working people and have a fairer Britain."

He told whocanIvotefor: "I’ve worked at Derriford Hospital fixing people’s hearts for 27 years. I live in the constituency and I know how many people in Plymouth struggle to provide the basics for the people they love.

Guy, who has worked in Derriford hospital for over two decades, said: "Our money should be spent so that no child in this country lives in poverty, everyone has top class free education and our NHS is rebuilt to care for the population as it was always meant to, free and without waiting lists.

"Their physical and mental health suffers. At the same time I’ve seen Labour and Tory governments spend huge sums of our money on senseless wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

"Britain must not be a warmongering vassal state of the American Empire - we must care for our children and promote peace in the world."

Alex Moore (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)

Alex Moore is standing for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition in Plymouth Sutton and Devonport on July 4th as "a workers MP on a workers wage".

He won't take the full £91 000 wage plus expenses and consultancies MP's get. "If elected the only way I get a pay rise is if everyone else does."

Expelled from the Labour Party in 1991 for reading and selling a "The Militant" newspaper, the former Election Agent who helped Labour sweep to power in the 1991 Local Elections has returned to haunt New Labour this time by standing against Luke Pollard for The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.

"Since New Labour abandoned ordinary workers , supporting TUSC is the only trade unionist backed organisation proud to support strikers like the Health Care Assistants at Derriford Hospital last week. These people are struggling to get by on the Minimum Wage and their pay has been cut in real terms by over 20% in the last 10 years. It is the same across the whole public sector with other workers in retail and transport experiencing the same thing. It is why there is a wave of strikes spreading across the city including the Royal Fleet Auxiliary seafarers , security guards, junior doctors and bus drivers. Education staff are being balloted too. We all kept the country going through the pandemic but where is our reward?

"I was expelled for being a socialist just as other have been expelled since. But I haven't changed - the Labour Party has. TUSC has picked up the banner the Labour Party dropped. We stand for the people and principles they have abandoned. We are helping to build a genuine trade union based party that will fight for the working class."

Alex who is District Secretary of Plymouth National Education and a teacher reports that many workers in Devonport who once voted for Labour in their thousands are now bitterly angry and let down by all politicians. Whoever wins the elections, the turn out will show the system is broken. Politicians are not trusted to provide secure, well paid jobs, council homes, good health and social services, cheap energy and water.

Luke Pollard (Labour)

Luke has served as Labour MP for Sutton and Devonport since 2017 and launched his campaign for re-election highlighting housing, defence and dental access as vital - but said the overarching theme is “change” for the city and nation.

He said: "It’s time for change. I have not met anyone on the doors that disagrees with the fact that we need change. So it’s about what changes we can deliver. We are not making grand promises that are unfunded. We are setting out what changes we can make and where the money will come from to pay for it.”

Speaking to PlymouthLive, Mr Pollard said: “Plymouth is my home. It was where I was born and where I live. I come from a family with strong links to the city – my father served in the Royal Navy as a submariner based in Devonport, and my mum taught at Marjon. I lived in Peverell for ten years before moving to Stoke recently.

"Before I was elected, I worked on major construction projects and I’m proud to have a business background. I’ve previously worked for ITV, South West Water, Sainsbury’s and ABTA, the holiday trade body. After graduating from the University of Exeter in 2001 I spent a year as the President of the Guild (Exeter’s Students Union).

"I’m my own man. I think Plymouth has been let down by people putting their party ahead of Plymouth. I want to be fiercely independent in Parliament, putting Plymouth above party each and every time.”

Chaz Singh (Independent)

Chaz is an independent candidate and stated on his Crowdfunder: "Are you tired of voting for either left wing or right wing when they are actually the same bird. You need to have the option to have somebody who will represent you in Parliament and you only, and not a party."

His leaflet said: "Voting for Chaz Singh as an independent MP guarantees that the people of Plymouth Sutton and Devonport will always come first!"

Gareth Streeter (Conservative)

Gareth was born and raised in Plymouth. He runs a small communications consultancy business in the city.

He told whocanIvotefor: "For many years, I served as a youth worker and a community volunteer. I worked with people from a range of backgrounds who were battling with a variety of circumstances, that first inspired me to run for Parliament.

"I am proud that after more than a decade of a Conservative government, standards in Plymouth’s schools are much higher than they were when I was a teenager.

"As a type 1 diabetic and a permanent outpatient of Derriford Hospital, I know the importance of good healthcare. We must improve access to GPs and make it easier for people to get appointments.

"But from my time as a youth and community worker, I also believe that politicians have to turn their attention to deeper issues such as loneliness and isolation. When these are allowed to fester in secrecy, they turn into healthcare concerns and blight people’s lives.

"Plymouth is my home. I was born here, went to school here and spent years working for Plymouth’s businesses. It would be the honour of a lifetime to represent Plymouth Sutton and Devonport in Parliament."