Former MK Citizen paperboy aspires to become MP for Milton Keynes

A young man whose first job was delivering Citizen newspapers is determined to become a Labour MP for Milton Keynes.

Chris Curtis launched his own campaign this week on Twitter and has drawn up his own promotion website to enlist public support.

The 28-year-old’s aim is to topple sitting Conservative MP Ben Everitt at the next general election.

He said: “ This is personal to me – my family work in our local public services, my mum as a teacher and my brother as a firefighter. I’ve seen first-hand how more than a decade of Tory policy has undermined their craft and the services they provide.

"In order to improve things we need a Labour government, and that won’t happen unless we win in marginal seats like Milton Keynes North.”

Chris already has a successful track record of campaigning under his belt and has acted as a pollster for several political big names.

He said: “I know exactly how to win elections because I’ve done it before. For the past seven years I’ve worked with Labour politicians to help win right across the UK – politicians like Keir Starmer, Sadiq Khan and Mark Drakeford.

If successful, Chris has pledged to support the work of MK Council in providing safe, new and affordable social council housing, lead a new local strategy to tackle the “urgent crisis” of knife crime locally and generally put the city first.

“Milton Keynes is where I was born, went to school, and started my first job, delivering the Citizen newspaper,” he said. “It’s where my family still live and work today. However, in its 55-year history, MK has never had an MP who grew up here.”

The Labour Party’s official selection of the MK North parliamentary candidate is due to be made shortly.

Meanwhile, Chris has been endorsed by the GMB Trade Union, whose regional secretary Warren Kenny said he will be a “passionate champion” for workers and MK residents.

Labour’s candidate for MK South has already taken place. The person chosen to stand against sitting Tory MP Iaian Stewart is Emily Darlington, a current city councillor and Cabinet member.

Emily stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate in MK North in 2015.