Hastings in Eye of Political Storm
PAUL MCLAUGHLIN
The political whirlwind engulfing the government swept through Hastings last Thursday morning (5 February) as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrived at a wet and windy Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards. He was there to deliver a speech ostensibly launching the new Pride in Place initiative, but the assembled premier league press pack were there to report on a very different story.
The Prime Minister was introduced by Kevin Boorman in his role as Chair of the Hastings Neighbourhood Board, the body that will decide how the £20m allocated to Hastings will be spent under the Pride of Place initiative.
Mr Boorman retired as a Council officer in 2023 after more than a quarter of a century of service to the town, and he recounted how his Great Uncle George Moon was cox of the Hastings lifeboat Cyril and Lilian Bishop, which was used to evacuate troops from the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940.
In opening his speech, the Prime Minister thanked Kevin, “or I should address you as Mr Hastings” for giving his “heart and soul” to the service of the town. He also went on to praise Bernard Stonestreet for his “24 years of distinguished service in the Royal Marines” and for his “tireless works for Sussex and for Hastings”, including opening the East Sussex Veterans’ Hub on Robertson Street and helping homeless veterans who have fallen on hard times.
The Prime Minister went on to confront head-on the contentious appointment of Lord Mandelson as US Ambassador – the issue now threatening to derail his premiership. He repeated his claim that the former ambassador deceived him regarding the Epstein connection and insisted he had “no reason to disbelieve him” initially.
Sir Keir Starmer apologised directly to the Epstein victims who, he said, “have lived with the trauma that most of us can barely comprehend, and they have had to relive it again and again.” He went on to say that he was “sorry for having believed Mandelson’s lies and appointed him, and sorry that even now you’re forced to watch this story unfold in public once again.”
He added: “I also want to say this: in this country, we will not look away, we will not shrug our shoulders, and we will not allow the powerful to treat justice as optional. We will pursue the truth. We will uphold the integrity of public life, and we will do everything within our power and in the interests of justice to ensure accountability is delivered. That is what the public expects. That is what the victims deserve, and it is what I will do.”
Turning to the reason for his visit to Hastings, the launch of the new Pride in Place initiative, the Prime Minister said the programme would “help disadvantaged areas across the country empower local communities to revitalise their high streets, manage derelict assets, and boost local pride.”
The Prime Minister concluded his speech referencing all local heroes, who make a “huge difference, and change how we feel about our town, our future, and even our country. Through their examples, each of us can look out of the window and see that people care. Wouldn’t politics be better if we truly backed that kind of pride?”
Under the Pride in Place plans, residents can apply to join the independent board that will help decide how to spend £20m in funding for the town over the next decade. The board’s chair, Kevin Boorman, is currently looking to recruit “passionate, community-minded individuals” to review and approve local projects which “genuinely reflect our communities” and “help shape a Hastings for everyone.”
Local MP Helena Dollimore described the government’s Pride in Place fund as a “once in a generation opportunity to change our town for the better”, sentiments echoed by Cllr Julia Hilton, deputy leader of Hastings BC and lead councillor for shaping places and local government reorganisation. She said she wanted the neighbourhood board to “reflect the full diversity and experience of our town.” She added that she was “particularly keen to hear from people from minority ethnic backgrounds and from residents with lived experience of the challenges many in Hastings face every day.”
Residents interested in joining the Board need to complete a short application form and submit it by Thursday 19 February 2026. For more information and to apply:
hastings.gov.uk/regeneration/pride-in-place/new-board-members
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