THE Labour Party activist secretly filmed planning to unseat Peter Kyle has predicted that Hove will vote for a hard left MP in 2020.

Mark Sandell, who was elected as chairman of the Brighton Hove and District Labour Party this summer before the election was annulled, said it is “likely” that a representative inline with Jeremy Corbyn's political viewpoint will take the traditionally Tory seat at the next general election.

Speaking exclusively to The Argus in his first full interview since his election in July, Mr Sandell said his political heroes are Karl Marx and Leon Trotsky, and that he would support nationalising the banking sector.

Asked if Hove, which has been represented by a Conservative for 52 of the 66 years of its existence, would vote for a pro-Corbyn candidate at the next election, he said: “I think even people who are relatively well-off walk through Hove and watch the levels of homelessness and hear about the effects of cuts on disability benefits.

“I think they oppose wars that lead to the migration crisis, and see the problems in the Middle East at the moment, I don’t think they’re happy with that and I think they want something different.

“And I think what Corbyn does represent is something different. So I think it’s likely that we can win the election.”

He fell short of reiterating the remarks broadcast on Channel 4 on Monday in which he told a meeting of left-wing activists that Peter Kyle “would not be hard to unseat” but said that if the MP did not line up behind Jeremy Corbyn, “there’s got to be serious questions asked.”

On Monday evening his public disagreements with Peter Kyle were the subject of two television documentaries, one of which broadcast footage of Mr Sandell telling a meeting that the MP should be removed because he did not agree with Corbyn’s policies.

But on Tuesday night he told The Argus that Mr Kyle would be the Labour MP until the 2020 general election.

He said: “I think if Peter Kyle will work with local party members on the platform that Corbyn’s been elected on then we’ve got a way of working together.

“If he doesn’t then there’s got to be serious questions asked.”

Mr Sandell, who has links with far-left group the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty, insisted that while his Labour membership lapsed during the Blair years, he had never stood against a Labour candidate and is fully eligible to hold the post to which he was elected.

I THINK EVEN WELL-OFF PEOPLE IN HOVE WILL VOTE FOR US NOW

Is your position that Peter Kyle is not the right man to represent your views and the Labour Party’s views?

The problem a lot of people including myself have is that our local MP has spent far too much of his time criticising the leader of the party, criticising the local party and I think all of that is very problematic.

I do have big political differences with him but I would have hoped that he would realise the vast majority of the party want to see the Labour party fighting on a much more socialist platform so I’d like to see him change direction.

And if he doesn’t?

Look, he’s the Labour MP until we have a general election.

What about boundary commission changes, which would open up the possibility of reselection?

It wouldn’t still be the Hove constituency if those changes come about. That’s a long way down the line though.

So are you now saying you’ll work with Peter Kyle?

I think if Peter Kyle will work with local party members on the platform that Corbyn’s been elected on then we’ve got a way of working together.

What if he doesn’t?

If he doesn’t then there’s got to be serious questions asked. We don’t want to be in a situation where we’re campaigning to promote policies Corbyn’s been elected on – nationalise the railways, reverse privation of the NHS, tax the rich, build council houses – and Kyle is spending his time trashing those policies.

At the moment I don’t think that a battle over a deselection process would be an appropriate thing to do. Right now everyone needs to take a deep breath and get to work on fighting the Tories. If even in that context he won’t do it, then that’s a really serious problem.

Are you a member of Momentum?

I am a member of Momentum.

Have you ever stood against a Labour candidate in any election?

No. Not in any parliamentary election.

In any election?

It’s just no.

Who are your political heroes?

One of my heroes is Karl Marx, he was a wonderful political thinker who basically came up with the critique that gave the name to capitalism.

I think Keir Hardie, although he doesn’t share my politics exactly, was a marvellous chap, really an amazing guy.

I think Trotsky was an honourable successor to the policies of Karl Marx.

Who was the best British Prime Minister?

It would have to be Atlee. That was the greatest result that Labour ever managed, with probably the most radical manifesto it ever had.

Are you a pacifist?

No

A unilateralist?

I’m in favour of getting rid of nuclear weapons, yes.

Should we be in Nato?

I can’t see that Nato is something we need to be a member of or should be a member of.

You’re in favour of nationalising the railways, what about other services?

What I’d argue for within the Labour Party is more radical than just some small nationalisations. I think one of the areas of the economy that we should be really looking at at the moment is the financial sector.

So we should nationalise the banking sector?

Why not? I don’t think that’s an unpopular policy. I don’t think it’s the policy of Corbyn at the moment, not the policy of the Labour Policy, but it’s certainly something we should discuss.

What’s more important to you, winning parliamentary election or maximising engagement in the movement?

I’m not going to answer your question like that but I think that there are things that we can win before we get a Labour government.

I definitely don’t think that’s an alternative to winning the general election.

Do you think Jeremy Corbyn will win in 2020?

Yes.

Does that mean the polls are wrong or that you’ll change minds between now and then?

We’ll change minds between now and then. People will argue you can’t because people are more right wing than the Labour Party, and because the press and media are hostile to Corbyn.

But I think the political establishment got a shock when it lost the referendum on the EU because they lost touch with the anger that was out there. That anger can be pushed in two directions. It can be pushed into anti-migrant, xenophobic, narrow-minded direction or towards wanting a fundamental change in the distribution of wealth and the organisation of the economy.

Do you think yours and Jeremy Corbyn’s politics can win in Hove in 2020?

I’m sure we can. I think even people who are relatively well-off walk through Hove and watch the levels of homelessness and hear about the effects of cuts on disability benefits.

I think they oppose wars that lead to the migration crisis, and see the problems in the Middle East at the moment, I don’t think they’re happy with that and I think they want something different. And I think what Corbyn does represent is something different. So I think it’s likely that we can win the election.

Do you think there’s a fight for the soul of the Labour Party?

What motivates me is the idea of defeating the Tories and having a Corbyn-led government and if people are making that less likely by the way they’re behaving, then I am prepared to have a struggle with them about that.

What’s the end game?

The end game is winning the election, turning around what’s happened in the last 30 years, it’s working class people getting more power, more control, more influence and the end game ultimately is to change society to a socialist society but I don’t think it’s going to happen straight away.

We know you’re 50 and you used to work as a secondary school teacher, what do you do now?

I’m not going to talk about it at the moment. I was a teacher this year. I’ve started a new job which is not secure.

What about your family?

That’s personal, I don’t think it’s relevant.

How long have you lived in Hove?

I’ve lived here about 15 years.

What do you think is your greatest political accomplishment?

I don’t think I’ve got one. I don’t feel I’ve made any political accomplishments yet but I hope to see a Labour government elected under Corbyn next time around.