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

Sir Keir Starmer has visited Chatham after a "historic" victory for Labour in the local elections.

The Conservatives have lost control of Medway Council in Kent for the first time in more than 20 years.

Labour secured 33 seats, which was enough to take control of the council. The Conservatives have 22 and there are four independents.

The Labour leader said: "You didn't just get it over the line. You blew the doors off."

The unitary authority was previously held by the Conservatives with a majority of 11.

Sir Keir said: "Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election.

"We've won the trust and confidence of voters and now we can go on and change our country."

All 55 council seats in Medway were up for election, along with four new seats created by boundary changes.

The Conservatives held Dartford and Sevenoaks, but across the South East, the so-called "blue wall" appeared to be crumbling, with the party losing seats.

In Canterbury, where sewage has been a big issue, the leader lost his seat to the Liberal Democrats. Another Tory candidate conceded before counting had even begun, but the council remained under no overall control.

In Folkestone and Hythe, the Greens have made waves after campaigning hard against a controversial development in Hythe. They unseated the authority's Conservative leader and become the largest party.

Labour have taken both Gravesham and Dover. Dover was previously a Conservative-run council. Gravesham was under no overall control.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have lost control of Maidstone, leaving a hung council. The Tories remain the largest party with 23 seats, while the Liberal Democrats, independents, Labour and the Greens have 11, 10, five and three respectively.

In Tunbridge Wells, there remains no overall majority, with no parties losing any seats. The council has seen a trend away from the Conservatives after they lost control in 2021.

Ashford, which remains under no overall control, saw the Greens gain six seats and the Conservatives lose seven. The Conservatives are the largest party on the council.

In Thanet, the Conservatives lost eight seats, while Labour gained 10 and took control of the council, which previously had no overall majority.

The Tories also lost Tonbridge and Malling to no overall control.

Swale remained under no overall control.

Medway Labour leader Vince Maple told BBC Radio Kent the local result was "historic" for the area.

"We've had a result tonight that I don't think we even expected," he said.

"We've never had since the creation of Medway Council a Labour majority council."

He added that he believed the "poor financial management" by the local Conservatives and the economic outlook nationwide was what helped his party win.

Outgoing Conservative leader Alan Jarrett blamed boundary changes and dissatisfaction with the national Conservative Party for the losses.

"Put those two things together, it's a pretty toxic mix," he said.

In a message to his successor, he added: "We're not seeing any substance yet. While they may have copied Conservative policies to help them win the election, it's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"So beware, Medway. Beware."

By Charlotte Wright, Political Editor, BBC South East

Labour activists in Medway were crying tears of joy when the seats were announced that gave them the majority on the council.

This was the result they had been dreaming of.

Not since the early days of Tony Blair's premiership have they had local authority control here in Medway.

In the weeks leading up to polling day, they told me this year was their best chance of winning.

They've been helped by national dissatisfaction with the Tories, a change in some ward boundaries and hard work on the doorstep.

The question is, does it end here for Labour? Can Labour convert their success tonight into seats at the next general election?

Sarah Lieberman, senior politics lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, described the result in Medway as "a big deal."

She added: "It's an indication that the voting general public are maybe a little bit jaded after 13 years of Conservative control."

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