Sunak says he will 'fight for every single vote' in Sussex

Rishi Sunak met with neighbourhood watch representatives in Horsham on Monday

Rishi Sunak has said the Conservatives will “fight for every single vote” in Sussex.

The prime minister campaigned in Crawley and Horsham on Monday as his party defends 16 seats across East and West Sussex in the general election.

The Tories have held every parliamentary seat in both East and West Sussex for the past five years but some predictions suggest they could lose half of them on 4 July.

Mr Sunak said his party would "deliver a more secure future for everyone".

The prime minister, who visited Squires garden centre in Crawley, told reporters he was not considering resigning despite a backlash for leaving D-Day commemorations early.

He then headed to the Dog and Bacon pub in Horsham to meet neighbourhood watch volunteers.

Since losing control of Adur District Council last month, the Conservatives no longer control any borough or district councils in Sussex.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats are targeting several towns across the two counties.

Mr Sunak met members of the public at a garden centre in Crawley

Asked about voters turning away from the Tories, Mr Sunak said his party are the "only party willing to take bold action" and who have a "clear plan"

He said: "That is how we will deliver a more secure future for everyone, not just in Sussex but across the country.

“We are going to fight hard to every single vote and we have got a fantastic set of candidates here who are delivering for their communities.”

The candidates standing to be the next Crawley MP include Zack Ali for the Tories, Peter Lamb for Labour, Lee Gibbs for the Lib Dems, Iain Dickson for The Green Party and Tim Charters for Reform UK.

In Horsham, the candidates include Jeremy Quin for the Tories, James Field for Labour, Catherine Ross for the Green Party, John Milne for the Lib Dems and Hugo Miller for Reform UK.