Kent election results 2023: Starmer visits Medway after Labour wins council

Sir Keir Starmer has visited Chatham aft a "historic" triumph for Labour successful the section elections.

The Conservatives person mislaid power of Medway Council successful Kent for the archetypal clip successful much than 20 years.

Labour secured 33 seats, which was capable to instrumentality power of the council. The Conservatives person 22 and determination are 4 independents.

The Labour person said: "You didn't conscionable get it implicit the line. You blew the doors off."

The unitary authorization was antecedently held by the Conservatives with a bulk of 11.

Sir Keir said: "Make nary mistake, we are connected people for a Labour bulk astatine the adjacent wide election.

"We've won the spot and assurance of voters and present we tin spell connected and alteration our country."

All 55 assembly seats successful Medway were up for election, on with 4 caller seats created by bound changes.

Medway Labour person Vince Maple told BBC Radio Kent the effect was "historic" for the area.

"We've had a effect contiguous that I don't deliberation we adjacent expected," helium said.

"We've ne'er had since the instauration of Medway Council a Labour bulk council."

He added that helium believed the "poor fiscal management" by the section Conservatives and the economical outlook nationwide was what helped his enactment win.

Outgoing Conservative person Alan Jarrett blamed bound changes and dissatisfaction with the nationalist Conservative Party for the losses.

"Put those 2 things together, it's a beauteous toxic mix," helium said.

In a connection to his successor, helium added: "We're not seeing immoderate substance yet. While they whitethorn person copied Conservative policies to assistance them triumph the election, it's a wolf successful sheep's clothing.

"So beware, Medway. Beware."

By Charlotte Wright, Political Editor, BBC South East

Labour activists successful Medway were crying tears of joyousness erstwhile the seats were announced that gave them the bulk connected the council.

This was the effect they had been dreaming of.

Not since the aboriginal days of Tony Blair's premiership person they had section authorization power present successful Medway.

In the weeks starring up to polling day, they told maine this twelvemonth was their champion accidental of winning.

They've been helped by nationalist dissatisfaction with the Tories, a alteration successful immoderate ward boundaries and hard enactment connected the doorstep.

The question is, does it extremity present for Labour? Can Labour person their occurrence contiguous into seats astatine the adjacent wide election?

Sarah Lieberman, elder authorities lecturer astatine Canterbury Christ Church University, said: "This is simply a large deal.

"It is truthful acold the lone spot successful England that has made that implicit power from being held by the Conservatives to being held by Labour."

She added: "It's an denotation that the voting wide nationalist are possibly a small spot jaded aft 13 years of Conservative control."