Openly Gay Conservatives Win UK May Elections. Meet Them

On May 7, 2026, municipal elections took place in the United Kingdom. During the voting, representatives of LGBT+ Conservatives—the official LGBTQ group within the Conservative Party—won council seats.

Among the successful Conservative candidates are Marc Goldfinger and Philip Stephenson-Oliver.

Marc Goldfinger won in the Norland ward of Kensington and Chelsea. According to official borough council data, he received 936 votes. Goldfinger is publicly affiliated with the LGBT wing of the Conservative Party and is listed as a candidate for Deputy Chairman of the LGBT+ Conservatives organization for 2026/2027.

Philip Stephenson-Oliver won the election in the Lancaster Gate ward of Westminster, securing 862 votes. The LGBT+ Conservatives webpage states that he serves on the National Executive and General Council of the organization.

During the same election cycle, the Conservatives were challenged by the right-wing Reform UK party, which also fielded openly queer candidates. However, on May 7, openly gay Reform UK candidate Damien Moore lost in the Abbey Road ward (Westminster). He received 462 votes, placing seventh out of fifteen candidates.

Despite this, Reform UK had previously succeeded in getting a queer candidate elected. In a by-election on April 22 in Barton and Winton (Salford), Michael James Felse secured a victory with 676 votes. His case sparked discussions in the LGBTQ press, as Felse had previously performed as a drag artist and participated in Pride events as a drag queen.