The Election 2024
Lauren Sullivan, newly elected as MP for Gravesham, one of the last to leave The Woodville, talks on the phone in the early hours of the morning.
The rain got heavier, and Rishi Sunak's bespoke suit became the focus of attention. I presumed that he'd just fired the starting gun on what would be one of Gravesham's most closely fought elections in recent history. According to the polls, Gravesham would have a new Member of Parliament for the first time in 14 years. The polls were correct; we have a new MP, but it wasn't the battle I expected.
Rishi Sunak and Kier Starmer were racing around the country, spending much of their time in hi-vis jackets, inexplicably trying skilled jobs they hadn't trained for, and repeating the same few carefully prepared lines. Neither managed to quite make it to Gravesham. Kier Starmer visited Gillingham and Thurrock, although the last ferry had long since departed. Rishi Sunak didn't make it to Kent; the closest I can find that he came was Westminster, where he happened to be living at the time.
Shots from the City Praise Centre hustings in Gravesend, 27 June 2024.
The frantic national activity belied that very little was happening in Gravesham. For the first four weeks of the six-week campaign, I failed to spot one visible sign of an election. I intended to photograph a poster for each of the five candidates, but except for the Labour Party office windows, I didn't see one.
On social media, I saw that the Labour candidate, now our new MP, Lauren Sullivan, was out every weekend knocking on doors. Credit to her for doing it, and maybe her ultimate success is partially a result of all that leg work, but it didn't translate into visible signs of support. Is this an indication that we're now more private with our political views? Are we less willing to show our party allegiance or have the turbulent years since 2016 made us switch off?
In the last two weeks, things heated up a little. The City Praise Centre hosted a hustings where the candidates were each given 90 seconds to answer questions from the audience. Welcome, though this was, the format restricted questions to those submitted in advance and selected by the hosts. Therefore, most questions related to the candidate's morals and ethics. Important though this is, it didn't address the pressing everyday bread and butter concerns of residents. There was also no time for debate. Several people I spoke to afterwards said that they were dissatisfied with the format.
At the same time, a number of large 'Keep Adam' signs popped up around the borough. If you're already engaged in local politics, they may have had an impact. But if the name of your MP wasn’t the first thing that popped into your mind, I’m not so sure.
Finally, on the Saturday before the election some open campaigning. Members of Reform UK and their candidate, Matthew Fraser Moat, gamely gathered around a table in the centre of Gravesend and answered questions from all comers. When so much modern campaigning consists of tightly controlled appearances to supporters, designed to be packaged for social media, this seemed like one of the most democratic moments of the local campaign.
On polling day, the first ballot boxes arrived at The Woodville only a few minutes after the polls closed. Only when you sit watching as the votes are verified, counted, checked and tallied as the hours roll by, do you realise the tremendous amount of work an election imposes on a local authority.
At just after 3 am, the (Acting) Returning Officer, Stuart Bobby, called the candidates and their agents together to brief them on the result. From our temporary home on The Woodville's balcony, the media had a bird's-eye view of the ballot papers as they stacked up behind each candidate's name. The result wouldn't be a surprise.
While she waited, Lauren Sullivan had the look of a woman who couldn't quite believe, after months of work, that this moment had finally come.
At 3.22 am Stuart Bobby announced the results:
• 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
Lauren Sullivan became Gravesham's first Labour MP for 14 years. The first woman to hold the post. Turnout in Gravesham was 59%, the lowest in over 100 years. A historic win, yes, but one that barely seemed to register with much of the electorate.
