Clacton By-Election Candidate Profile
James Ransley
James Ransley is a small-business owner from Ashford, former Conservative association officer and former chairman of Kingsnorth Parish Council. He founded Consensus after leaving the Conservatives and is campaigning in Clacton on practical constituency work, cross-party cooperation, planning experience, regular surgeries and measurable accountability.
James Ransley
The original profile understated both his political history and the amount of Clacton-specific campaign material now available. Ransley has stood in five known elections under three different descriptions: Conservative, Independent and Consensus.
Who is James Ransley?
His own biography gives considerably more detail than the previous Clacton.org page.
Small-business background
Ransley says he is 39 and comes from a family of hands-on small businesses in Kent. His family background included market trading, butchery, hay and oak-frame building.
He studied International Securities, Investment and Banking at university, but graduated around the time of the financial crisis and instead started his own bespoke furniture business in 2009.
He says the business specialises in unusual timber for live-edge tables and coffee tables, with around one third of sales exported overseas.
Ashford and Kingsnorth
Ransley says he is the third generation of his family to have been born and raised in Ashford. He became involved in local planning issues before entering electoral politics.
He joined Kingsnorth Parish Council after the 2019 elections when vacancies remained, initially taking responsibility for planning work. He became chairman in 2020.
Official Planning Inspectorate material from 2023 independently identifies him as Chair of Kingsnorth Parish Council during a major planning appeal.
“The work. Not the show.”
James Ransley, Clacton campaign sloganConservative, Independent, then Consensus
His political journey is more complicated than the ballot-paper description alone suggests.
Stood for Ashford Borough Council in Goat Lees as “The Conservative Party Candidate”.
Became chairman after joining the parish council following vacancies after the 2019 elections.
Contested the Highfield ward by-election for the Conservatives and finished second.
Ransley says the Liz Truss mini-budget was the point at which the party moved away from him. He has criticised the unfunded tax-cutting approach and the resulting pension and mortgage disruption.
Contested Washford ward in the Ashford local elections without a party label.
The Electoral Commission authorised Consensus on 8 June 2023, with Ransley as leader, nominating officer and treasurer.
Stood in Ashford for Consensus and received 1,289 votes, or 2.7%.
Now contests the Clacton by-election as “Consensus Party Candidate”.
What is Consensus?
Consensus was registered with the Electoral Commission on 8 June 2023. Its registered descriptions include “Consensus – Green, Moderate and Financially Prudent”.
Why register a party?
Consensus is unusually open about why it was created as a registered party rather than Ransley simply continuing as an Independent.
Its own website says the party was registered because election spending rules are more favourable to registered parties than to independent candidates.
The party therefore operates as a vehicle for Ransley’s political approach while also having a formal constitution and registered descriptions.
How it says politics should work
Consensus argues that politicians should try to build broad agreement rather than simply assemble 50% plus one and impose a decision on everyone else.
It opposes party whips, argues for evidence-based policy, accepts that climate change is real and says government should be financially prudent across the economic cycle and beyond.
His main pledges
Ransley’s campaign is more focused on how he would perform the job of MP than on a large ideological manifesto.
50 surgeries a year
Pledges at least 50 in-person constituency surgeries every year in locations around the constituency.
Move to Clacton
Says he will move from Kent to the Clacton constituency within six weeks if elected.
Annual household report
Promises an annual report delivered to every household so residents can judge what he has actually done.
Visit parish councils
Pledges to visit every parish council in the constituency at least twice each year.
Work cross-party
Says he would work constructively across parties in Parliament and with local councillors.
Protect the NHS
Says he would not support moving the NHS towards an insurance-based system or further privatisation.
Offshore wind benefits
Supports offshore wind and wants nearby residents to benefit from locally generated electricity without prices being driven by international gas spikes.
Accelerate regeneration
Says the MP should take an active seat on boards such as the Clacton Town Board and press government and stakeholders to deliver regeneration funding faster.
Infrastructure first
Wants major housing developments to provide roads, water, GP capacity and affordable housing rather than adding pressure to existing services.
“Mark my homework.”
James Ransley, pledge to issue an annual report to every householdPlanning is his strongest specialist subject
Ransley’s public record shows sustained involvement in planning matters before he became a parliamentary candidate.
Local Plan involvement
Ashford Borough Council records show Ransley submitting detailed representations during the development of the Ashford Local Plan years before his current parliamentary campaign.
His submissions covered issues including settlement separation, infrastructure, housing, employment land and the impact of development on villages.
Planning inquiry experience
During his time as Kingsnorth Parish Council chair, Ransley represented the council as a Rule 6 party in a major planning appeal concerning development at Kingsnorth Green.
The official Planning Inspectorate appeal decision lists him among the appearances and records his evidence as part of the inquiry.
AI political position indicator
Ransley’s Conservative background pulls his political history to the centre-right, but his current platform is deliberately moderate. Consensus accepts climate change, supports offshore wind, opposes further NHS privatisation and stresses evidence-based policy. At the same time, Ransley emphasises fiscal prudence, practical spending choices, local accountability and resistance to unfunded tax cuts. Taken together, his current published platform sits close to the political centre.
FL = Far Left, L = Left, C = Centre, R = Right, FR = Far Right. This is an approximate Clacton.org AI editorial estimate based on published policies, campaign material and political history. It is not a position supplied, endorsed or approved by James Ransley or Consensus.
His Clacton campaign leaflets
Ransley’s campaign has produced several different leaflets for different parts of the constituency, rather than one generic national leaflet.
Known election contests: 5
The current Clacton contest is his fifth known election. His record includes two Conservative candidacies, one Independent candidacy and two parliamentary contests for Consensus including Clacton.
| Date | Election | Party / status | Votes | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 2019 | Goat Lees, Ashford Borough Council | Conservative | 67 | Not elected, 2nd of 3 |
| 16 Dec 2021 | Highfield, Ashford Borough Council by-election | Conservative | 163 | Not elected, 2nd of 4 |
| 4 May 2023 | Washford, Ashford local election | Independent | 155 | Not elected |
| 4 July 2024 | Ashford, UK General Election | Consensus | 1,289 | Not elected, 6th of 6, 2.7% |
| 13 Aug 2026 | Clacton parliamentary by-election | Consensus | Pending | Current election |
Candidate and party links
Sources and further information
This profile uses Ransley’s own campaign material, Consensus party material, official election results, Electoral Commission records and planning documents.