Ellie Sandover
 Ellie Sandover  ( politician) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 2001 |
| Alma mater | • Central • University of London |
| Party | Labour and Co-operative Party |
| Relatives | .jpg){kind=small} Keir Starmer |
Parachuted in to a "safe" Labour council seat | |
Ellie Sandover is a British Labour Party politician who was elected in Croydon London Borough Council's Bensham Manor ward – in the constituency of MP Sarah Jones – on 7 May 2026.[1]
She is the niece of PM Keir Starmer.[2]
Background
In her mid-20s, former BRIT School pupil Sandover has a degree from the Central School of Speech and Drama and, while working at Croydon's Legacy Youth Zone and in Sarah Jones’s parliamentary office in 2025, she also managed to complete her Master’s in law.[3]
"Parachuted niece"
Inside Croydon reported on 30 April 2026:
Ellie Sandover was selected in August last year, among the first to be announced of Labour’s full slate of 70 council candidates standing in the local elections next Thursday.
Two of Bensham Manor’s sitting councillors, Eunice O’Dame and Enid Mollyneux, both black women, were blocked by Labour from standing as candidates in 2026. For most of the past four years, Mollyneux has been Labour’s shadow cabinet member for community safety.
"Very new member"
One concerned local said: "Ellie’s a very new member to the party."
Inside Croydon reported:
- The usual requirement by the Labour Party is for those seeking selection as a candidate to have been a member for at least six months – which suggest that Sandover must have been a party member by at least February 2025 were she eligible to be selected that August.[4]
