Michael Stephens Selected as Liberal Democrats Parliamentary Candidate for Maidstone & Malling
The Maidstone and Tonbridge & Malling Liberal Democrats are delighted to announce that Michael Stephens has been selected as the party's Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPC) for the Maidstone & Malling constituency, following a selection process in which he stood against fellow candidates David Naghi and Nicholas Chan.
The selection comes at a pivotal moment for politics in Maidstone & Malling. Sitting Conservative MP Helen Grant has announced she will be standing down at the next general election, having been the MP for first Maidstone & The Weald and more recently Maidstone & Malling for the last 16 years. Michael's selection marks the start of an ambitious campaign to establish the party as the leading challengers and offer voters a fresh, liberal alternative.
A fresh voice for Maidstone & Malling
Michael brings a wealth of international experience to the campaign. A passionate internationalist, he has spent his career advocating for liberal values on the global stage, with a background in national security and foreign affairs that has taken him to some of the toughest conflict zones in the Middle East, including Palestine and Iraq. Trilingual, with fluency in both Hebrew and Arabic, Michael draws on this experience as a Government adviser and university lecturer to make the case for Britain playing a greater role in defending multilateralism, the rule of law and human rights in an increasingly dangerous world.
He is also a committed environmentalist. Much of Michael's career has focused on tackling climate change, including helping raise tens of millions of dollars to prevent climate-borne diseases from spreading among the world's most vulnerable people. Michael is especially concerned about the loss of natural habitat and biodiversity across the UK in the face of rapid urban development. He will fight to preserve our threatened woodland and natural spaces.
An energetic and experienced campaigner, Michael most recently helped lead the Liberal Democrats to victory in Tunbridge Wells at this year's local elections, unseating both Conservative and Labour councillors while holding off challenges from Reform and the Greens. He now brings that campaigning energy to Maidstone & Malling, with ambitions to grow the local party and make further gains in next year's West Kent Unitary Elections.
Get involved
Michael is looking forward to meeting residents across Maidstone & Malling and hearing the issues that matter most to them. If you would like to get involved with the campaign or find out more, please get in touch.
