Labour Win in Gravesham
3:49 a.m.: Lauren Sullivan, newly elected as the MP for Gravesham, one of the last to leave the Woodville, talks on the phone.
The Woodville, Gravesend. Thursday 4th – 5th July, 2024.
In the early hours of Friday, 5th July, Lauren Sullivan was elected as the Member of Parliament for Gravesham. After what had seemed at times a non-existent campaign in Gravesham, the turnout was 59%, down 6% from 2019.
It was the first time I’d witnessed an election count. Credit is due to the Gravesham Council staff for a very well-organised day and night. Stuart Bobby, Gravesham Chief Executive and (Acting) Returning Officer, announced the result at 3:22 a.m., at which point many of the Gravesham staff had been working for over 21 hours.
The votes cast for each candidate were:
Matthew Fraser Moat (Reform UK): 8,910
Adam Holloway (Conservative Party): 13,911
Rebecca Drake Hopkins (Green Party): 2,254
Ukonu Obasi (Liberal Democrats): 1,534
Lauren Sullivan (Labour Party): 16,623
I plan to write a longer post about the election itself, but here are a few shots from the night.
10:10 p.m.: The first ballot boxes arrive at The Woodville where they are logged before the verification and count begin.
The BBC streamed video from all 650 constituencies. The Gravesham feed came from this iPhone mounted on The Woodville balcony.
11:06 pm: The counting is closely monitored by election observers representing each of the parties.
Many of the 63 counting staff started the day at 6 a.m. working in the Polling Stations, so by the early hours of Friday, the range of snacks began to grow. Your reporter can confirm Gummy Bears and Haribo were firm favourites.
11:26 p.m.: Adam Holloway (left), the Gravesham MP since 2005, joins the election observers watching the count.
2:55 a.m.: As the boxes labelled with the candidates names begin to fill with votes, we get an indication of the result.
3:12 a.m.: Stuart Bobby, the Gravesham Chief Executive and (Acting) Returning Officer, briefs the candidates and their agents on the result.
3:22 a.m.: An hour ahead of schedule, the Gravesham Chief Executive and (Acting) Returning Officer, officially announces the result.
3:27 a.m.: Lauren Sullivan (Labour Party), the newly elected Member of Parliament for Gravesham, gives a speech thanking her supporters and the staff at the count.
3:44 a.m. The former M.P. Adam Holloway gives an interview to KM TV, repeating his commitment to stand at the next election in 2029.