Labour Wins Worthing West in General Election

Labour has taken a long-held Conservative seat in Sussex, marking a significant shift in the region’s political landscape.

Beccy Cooper, the leader of Worthing Borough Council, has unseated Conservative Sir Peter Bottomless, who has been the MP for Worthing West since its creation in 1997.

Cooper secured the seat with 20,519 votes, surpassing Bottomley’s 16,570 votes. Sir Peter Bottomley, who had been an MP for more than six decades, spent nearly his entire career on the back benches, with a notable six-year period as a minister in Margaret Thatcher’s government. He also held the title of Father of the House of Commons.

This victory is historic for Cooper, who became the first Labour councillor in Worthing for over 40 years in 2017. Her win in the general election signifies a major change for Worthing West, a constituency that had been under Conservative control since its inception.