Rishi Sunak Fires The Starting Gun
As the rain gets heavier, Rishi Sunak’s finely tailored suit becomes the focus of my attention. The shoulders shine, reflecting the lights of the world’s watching media. He must know how ridiculous this looks, as he feels the rain running down the back of his neck.
I want to take in the importance of the moment, but I can’t help thinking that a speech outside, in a rainstorm, says all you need to know about this moment in British politics. After the collective trauma that was Liz Truss, at least Rishi Sunak’s heart seemed, mostly, in the right place. But let’s be honest, he just isn’t good at politics.
Finally, the prime minister turns and walks back into the shelter of Downing Street, and I presume he has fired the starting gun on what would be Gravesham’s most closely fought general election in recent years.
“Keir Starmer gets close, visiting Thurrock, the other side of the Thames. However, the last ferry had long since departed.”
Adam Holloway MP, the Conservative Party, has represented Gravesham for 14 years. When reelected in 2019, he received 62.2% of the vote, increasing his majority to 15,581.
But according to the polls, Gravesham may have a new Member of Parliament, Lauren Sullivan of the Labour Party.
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer race around the country. They spend much of their time wearing hi-vis jackets, cosplaying skilled workers, and repeating the same few carefully scripted lines. Neither makes it to Gravesham.
Keir Starmer gets close, visiting Thurrock, the other side of the Thames. However, the last ferry had long since departed.
Rishi Sunak doesn’t make it to Kent at all. The closest I can find is the time he spends in Westminster – coincidentally, where he is living.
The Missing Election
The frantic national activity belied that little is happening in Gravesham. During the first four weeks of the six-week campaign, I can’t find one visible sign of the election. I intended to photograph a poster promoting each of the five candidates. Except in the window of the Labour Party office, I didn’t see one.
On social media, the Labour candidate Lauren Sullivan is out every weekend knocking on doors. Credit to her and her supporters. Maybe her ultimate success is partly a result of all that legwork. But it still doesn’t translate into visible signs of support.
Are we all more private with our political allegiances? Less likely than in the past to stand up for what we believe in?
It could be an after-effect of the turbulent Brexit years. But I suspect the politically engaged find it more comfortable to rant with like-minded people in social media bubbles than engaging with real people who could disagree.
Gravesham Hustings, 27 June 2026
In the final two weeks, things heat up to barely warm. The City Praise Centre hosts the only hustings of the election. Each candidate is given 90 seconds to answer questions from the audience.
Any opportunity to hear from the candidates is welcome, and an almost full hall is a good sign. However, the roughly 250 people present are a tiny fraction of the Gravesham electorate. A fundamental responsibility of any candidate seems to be to listen to as many voters as possible, and that isn’t happening.
The format restricts questions to those submitted in advance and selected by the hosts, in this case a group of churches. The questions mainly relate to the candidate’s morals and ethics. They’re important; however, they don’t address the residents’ day-to-day concerns.
Follow-up questions or debate between the candidates isn’t allowed; the whole thing feels a little stilted. Several residents I speak to afterwards said that they were disappointed with the format.
Keep Adam?
At the same time, some large ‘Keep Adam’ signs pop up around the borough. If you’re already engaged in local politics, they may have had an impact. But if your MP’s first name isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, I’m not so sure.
Finally, on the Saturday before the election, there is some open campaigning. Reform UK candidate Matthew Fraser and his supporters gather around a table in the centre of Gravesend answering questions from all comers. From what I can hear, the engagements are mainly positive.
When so much modern campaigning consists of tightly controlled appearances of banner-toting supporters designed to be packaged for social media, this seems like one of the most democratic moments of the election locally. You may or may not agree with their politics, but they are prepared to put themselves out there.
The Gravesham Count at the Woodville
On polling day, the first ballot boxes arrive at the Woodville a few minutes after the polls close. Only when you watch the votes being verified, counted, checked and tallied as the hours roll by, do you appreciate the huge amount of work an election imposes on a local authority.
At just after 3 am, the (Acting) Returning Officer, Stuart Bobby, calls the candidates and their agents together to brief them on the result. From our home on the Woodville’s balcony, the media has a bird’s-eye view of the ballot papers as they stacked up behind each candidate’s name. The result won’t be a surprise.
The Result
While she waited, Lauren Sullivan looks like someone who, after months of work, can’t quite believe that this moment had finally come.
At 3.22 am Stuart Bobby announces 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
The polls were correct; we do have a new MP, but it was far from the battle I expected. Lauren Sullivan becomes Gravesham’s first Labour MP in 14 years and the first woman ever to hold the post. However, the turnout in Gravesham was 59%, the lowest in over 100 years. A historic win, yes, but one that barely seems to register with a large section of the electorate.
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