2026 Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election
The 2026 Hampshire and the Solent mayoral election is due to be held on 7 May 2026 to elect the first mayor of Hampshire and the Solent.
Candidates
So far only the Conservative Party has named their candidate, with prospective candidates having already started campaigning for other parties' nominations.
Conservative Party
Donna Jones was selected in August 2025 in what was described as a "competitive process". [1][2]
| Name | Home Town | Experience | Announcement | Outcome of Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donna Jones | Portsmouth | Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Former Leader of Portsmouth City Council | March 2025[3] | Selected August 2025[1][2] |
| Ranil Jayawardena | Bramley | Former Member of Parliament for North East Hampshire, Former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | July 2025[4] | Not selected |
Labour Party
| Name | Home Town | Experience | Announcement | Outcome of Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lorna Fielker | Southampton | Former Leader of Southampton City Council | May 2025[5] |
Liberal Democrats
| Name | Home Town | Experience | Announcement | Outcome of Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Dowling | Portsmouth | Former Councillor, Portsmouth City Council, Currently Deputy-Ceo, Unloc | July 2025[6] | |
| Jack Davies | New Forest | Councillor, New Forest District Council | May 2025[7] | |
| Martin Tod | Winchester | Leader of Winchester City Council | July 2025[8] |
References
- ^ a b "Donna Jones named as Conservative party candidate for mayor of Hampshire". The News. 2025-08-03. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- ^ a b "Donna Jones selected as Conservative candidate for new Hampshire mayor". Hampshire Chronicle. 2025-08-02. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- ^ Hudson, Emily (13 March 2025). "Police and crime commissioner to run for mayor". BBC. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
- ^ "Mayor Paul Bristow backs Ranil for Hampshire".
- ^ Lewis, Jason. "Southampton City Council leader launches bid to become Hampshire mayor". Dailty Echo. Daily Echo.
- ^ Dowling, Ben. bendowling.org.uk. Ben Dowling https://www.bendowling.org.uk.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Davies, Jack. Facebook. Jack Davies https://www.facebook.com/jackdaviesld/photos/-announcement-im-putting-my-name-in-the-hat-to-be-the-liberal-democrat-candidate/1095133352433004/?_rdr.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Martin for More – Your choice for Mayor of Hampshire and the Solent". Retrieved 2025-07-14.