A local borough councillor who only entered politics two years ago is in the running for a national politics award - competing against heavyweights such as Andrea Leadsom, Ken Clarke, Rory Stewart and Steve Baker.

Nicholas Pope was elected to represent Park Ward in Tunbridge Wells for the newly formed Tunbridge Wells Alliance Party in 2018.

The former chairman of the Friends of Calverley Grounds has been short-listed for the Civility in Politics awards in the category of Politician of the Year.

The awards are sponsored by the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust and were devised in 2019 to bring back some manners to political life after the acrimonious and personal attacks during the Brexit debate.

Cllr Pope is short-listed with 10 others - all of whom are sitting MPs, ex-MPs or Lords.

The awards aim to shine a spotlight on people working in politics who have shown the possibility for civil, thoughtful and reflective public debate that reaches across political divides.

At stake is a £3,000 prize for the winner to give to a charity of their choice working in their area.

The judges come from across the political spectrum.

They are Gawain Towler – director of communications for the Brexit Party, David Willetts – Conservative Member of the House of Lords; Sue Tibballs OBE – CEO Sheila McKechnie Foundation; Catherine Anderson – CEO Jo Cox Foundation; Delyth Jewell - Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales East; Baroness Sayeeda Warsi – Conservative Peer; Isabel Hardman – assistant editor, The Spectator; Quintin Oliver – campaign manager for the Yes Campaign in the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement; Sarah Wollaston – Liberal Democrat MP for Totnes; Stephen Gethins - SNP MP for North East Fife and Shailesh Vara – Conservative MP for North West Cambridgeshire.

The others on the short-list for the award are Alison Thewliss (SNP MP), Catherine West (Lab MP), David Melding (Cons Welsh Assembly member), Floella Benjamin (Lib Dem peer), Kit Malthouse (Cons MP) and Norman Lamb (Lib Dem MP).

The winner is due to be announced later this month.

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