PARLIAMENTARY candidates faced a grilling from first-time voters as a school hosted a hustings.

Politicians seeking to secure the Brighton Kemptown seat faced tough questions on Brexit, the climate, homelessness and the NHS at the event at Roedean School last week.

Sixth formers from across Brighton and Hove gathered at the school to question Conservative Joe Miller, Labour’s Lloyd Russell-Moyle and the Lib Dem Ben Thomas, who are all vying to win the seat, as well as Green Party representative Hannah Clare who attended on behalf of candidate Alexandra Phillips.

One of the most prominent areas of questioning for the politicians was the NHS.

Mr Miller told them: “The NHS has been led by my party for 44 of its 70-year history and it has never been privatised by any of the Tory prime ministers.

“The NHS should always be free and no one should ever have to pay for treatment.”

He added that Brighton was in the process of getting a new hospital, complete with helipad.

Mr Russell-Moyle retorted: “Will you stop going on about the helipad?

“While the Tories have been in power they have broken the NHS.

“In 1997, when Labour came in, the NHS was on its knees.

“Yes, we whipped out the credit card to pay for it but we did that because we knew people were dying. We rebuilt it.”

Ms Clare said the Green Party would repeal the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, claiming it “made a market” out of the NHS.

In other discussions, Mr Russell-Moyle repeated Labour’s pledge to ban private jets and said: “We will take drastic action around climate change from the first day we get into government and we aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.

“Climate change is one of the biggest threats to our globe and that is why it is such a great shame we have focused on Brexit so much.”

Mr Miller and Mr Thomas agreed climate change was a top priority.

Ms Clare said: “I’m so happy to see so many other parties talking about the environment.

“It shows how successful we have been in getting it on the agenda.”

Rough sleeping was a key point of discussion.

Mr Thomas told the crowd: “Homelessness is totally unacceptable in the 21st century and the Lib Dems plan to build 100,000 homes for social rent.

“I would like to eliminate homelessness in five years and I think that can be done. Part of that would be to tackle the mental health crisis too.”

Mr Russell-Moyle added: “There are 1,500 people sleeping on the streets annually and even more sofa surfing or sleeping in their car.

“You have to wait a year for emergency housing and up to ten years in temporary accommodation.

“A lot of the problem is down to universal credit, with people not being able to pay their rent on time.

“These people need protection, and rent controls.

“If we get into government, we will build 100,000 council homes and ban the right to buy.”

Tory candidate Mr Miller also spoke on the subject.

He said: “Homelessness will be my number one priority as I help reform conservative policy.

“We also need more addiction services and mental health services.”