Chris Ward

Christopher David Ward (born 1982) is a British Labour Party politician who serves as Member of Parliament for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven since 2024.

Early life and education Ward was born in 1982 and grew up at Southwick, West Sussex, to parents hailing from Peacehaven, East Sussex.

He joined the Labour Party at the age of 18. before pursuing postgraduate studies in Political Theory at New College, Oxford (MPhil).

Career Early career Ward became a parliamentary researcher after graduating from Oxford and spent 6 years working for Sir Keir Starmer.

After leaving his advisory role, Ward worked for Hanbury Strategy as a director starting in January 2022. Hanbury Strategy is a registered lobbying firm and political and public affairs consultancy agency, During his time at the company, Hanbury advised clients including Amazon, Deliveroo, Flutter, UBS, Blackstone and Rockhopper among others.

Parliamentary selection Ward was selected as prospective parliamentary candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven following the suspension of Lloyd Russell-Moyle from the Labour Party regarding allegations dating back to 2016. According to left-wing political commentator Owen Jones, Ward had expressed an interest in becoming a Member of Parliament in the Brighton area many years previously. immediately following which Ward was announced as Labour's new candidate. More than 200 members of the local Labour Party protested against the method of Ward's selection, and Nancy Platts former Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council questioned the fairness of the process. His Labour general election campaign launch was interrupted by pro-Palestinian activists protesting against the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, with Ward accused of being a parachute candidate. He left the government when Andy Burnham became prime minister.

Personal life Ward is a supporter of Brighton & Hove Albion FC.