Call him a tech bro’, a hustler or even – hiss! – a Starmerite. But my word, I’m keen on my MP – and recently promoted business secretary – Peter Kyle, the Honourable Member for Hove and Portslade.

That doesn’t mean I voted for him last time; I wasn’t going to assist Robbie the Robot into power. I voted Reform, being acquainted with the candidate Martin Hess and finding him both clever and good company. I did vote for Kyle the first time, and became acquainted slightly with him, too; as they say of the 1960s, if you can remember the Peter Kyle Election Victory Night Party of 2015, you weren’t there. All I remember is screaming and shouting and singing and celebrating with what seemed like every gay man in Brighton and Hove. It was a riot!

It says a lot about how much I liked Kyle that I voted for him when Labour was led by Jeremy Corbyn, as did many Jewish friends in our constituency. We knew he was one of the few MPs in the rabidly pro-Palestinian constituency of Hove to give Israel a fair hearing. And sure enough, a year after he won, he wrote a lengthy and devastating email to the local party in which he disclosed that he supported the Parliamentary Labour Party’s motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn. It’s worth reading for its style and sincerity, but one paragraph was particularly prescient:

I was utterly devastated to debate Nigel Farage recently in Kent and see people who identified as former Labour voters, mostly the semi and un-skilled workers we exist to serve, cheering his every word and booing the very mention of our great party. I am sure you are wincing at the thought of this so please believe me when I say it was heartbreaking to experience.

By 2024, I was one of these former lifelong Labour voters who voted for Reform. The day of the election – having not put my X in the box marked Labour for the first time in my life – I was sitting outside my local, the Blind Busker in Hove, with other Reform reprobates, when Mr Kyle walked by and waved to me.

‘Good morning, Julie!’

‘Good morning, dear sir – I didn’t vote for you!’ I called back cheekily. ‘I’ve gone over to........

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