The Conservative Party have chosen Nathan Gamester as their candidate for the Chatham and Aylesford parliamentary seat for the general election.

Mr Gamester will hope to retain the seat for the Tories after 14 years of being held by Tracey Crouch, who announced she would step down at the next election in February.

The selection was first announced last night (May 28) on X, formerly Twitter, but the post was deleted shortly after.

The announcement was then made again this morning on Mr Gamester’s own social media account.

He said: “Absolutely delighted to have been selected as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Chatham & Aylesford.

“It’s a big responsibility and I can’t wait to get started. I look forward to working closely with @tracey_crouch during the campaign.

“The hard work starts now.”

Mr Gamester is managing director of the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) Foundation, which works with charities to come up with solutions to the UK’s social issues.

He is also executive director of Atlantic Partnership, an organisation which seeks to strengthen the transatlantic partnership.

He is originally from Bognor and Eastbourne but now lives in south London with his wife and three children.

He has previously stood for the Conservatives in local elections for his home ward of Peckham Rye in south London in 2018 and 2022 but was unsuccessful.

Mr Gamester will now face off against Tristan Osborne (Labour), Nicholas Chan (Liberal Democrats), Thomas Mallon (Reform UK), Kim Winterbottom (Green Party), and Steve Tanner (Social Democratic Party).

Welcoming the announcement, leader of the Medway Tories on Medway Council, Cllr George Perfect said: “Congratulations to Nathan Gamester on his selection as Conservatives Parliamentary Candidate for Chatham and Aylesford.

“Medway Tories Group look forward to working with you.

“It’s only the Conservatives with a clear plan, ready to take bold action, for a secure future.”

Outgoing MP Tracey Crouch responded to his selection on X, posting: “Absolutely thrilled to have such an excellent candidate fighting to keep Chatham & Aylesford Conservative.

“I can't wait to be on the campaign trail with Nathan Gamester - he will be an excellent MP.”

Although the seat has been held by Mrs Crouch since 2010, and is the safest of the three Medway seats for the Conservatives, it is predicted by electoral calculus to have a 56% chance of being won by Labour.