The Green Party have selected another candidate for the upcoming general election.
Kate Belmonte has been selected to stand for the Gillingham and Rainham constituency, currently held by Tory Rehman Chishti.
The co-founder and director of Mutual Aid Road Reps, which was created in 2020 to combat loneliness and isolation, has previously fought for the Greens in local elections, standing for the Twydall ward in 2019 and 2023.
She was also involved in the successful campaign to prevent building 1,250 homes on agricultural land on Pump Lane in Rainham, which, after being rejected by Medway Council, was taken to the planning inspectorate for appeal.
She will now stand for parliament whenever the next general election comes and says she wants to use creative solutions to provide a better future for her children.
She said: “I'm absolutely delighted to have been chosen to represent a party, which not only reflects my personal political beliefs, but also a party that can think creatively about the issues that face our community and find solutions that help the majority of people.
“When the time comes, I want my children to be able to fly the nest, and be able to afford a decent, clean, warm and energy efficient home.
“The country needs green policies and fairness for all, not greedy profiteering by wealthy businesses.”
The incumbent, Rehman Chishti, has held the seat since 2010, however, according to political forecasting web site Electoral Calculus, there is a 75% chance he will lose it to Labour’s candidate Naushabah Khan.
Also standing for the seat are Stuart Bourne (Liberal Democrats), Laid Ghellab (Workers Party of Britain), Rizvi Rawoof (Reform UK), and Peter Wheeler (Social Democratic Party).
The Green Party have also selected Cat Jamieson for the Rochester and Strood constituency and Kim Winterbottom for Chatham and Aylesford.
A date has not yet been set for the next general election but it must be held by January 28 2025.
