Nigel Rumsey

Labour Win in Gravesham

Lauren Sullivan talking on the phone shortly after winning in the 2024 General Election as Member of Parliament for Gravesham. The Woodville, Gravesend. Friday 5 July 2024.
Lauren Sullivan talking on the phone shortly after winning in the 2024 General Election as Member of Parliament for Gravesham. The Woodville, Gravesend. Friday 5 July 2024.

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. The Labour win in Gravesham comes after the seat had been held by Adam Holloway for the Conservative Party since 2005. At times local campaigning seemed non-existent; this may have contributed to the low turnout of 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 Gravesham Result

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.
10:10 p.m.: The first ballot boxes arrive at The Woodville, where they are logged before the verification and count begin.
An iPhone mounted on The Woodville balcony provides the BBC video feed to their 2024 election coverage.
The BBC streamed video from all 650 constituencies. The Gravesham feed came from this iPhone mounted on The Woodville balcony.
Election observers closely monitor staff counting the ballotts.
11:06 pm: The count is closely monitored by election observers representing each of the parties
An overhead view of a table where election staff have been counting ballots. There are a selection of sweets and biscuits to sustain them through the night.
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.
Long-term MP for Gravesham, Adam Holloway, and election observers watch the votes being counted.
11:26 p.m.: Adam Holloway (left), the Gravesham MP since 2005, joins the election observers watching the count.
A row of five boxes hold the votes for each of the candidates, clearly displaying that at that time Lauren Sullivan had the most votes.
2:55 a.m.: As the boxes labelled with the candidates’ names begin to fill with votes, we get an indication of the result.
Stuart Bobby, the (Acting) Returning Officer, briefs the candidates and their agents on 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.
Lauren Sullivan (Labour Party), the newly elected Member of Parliament for Gravesham, gives a speech thanking her supporters and the staff at the count.
3:27 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.
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.

Related Posts

Plastic Bottles: 10 Million a day in the UK!

I don’t know what made me first notice them. But when I did, I realised that they were everywhere. If I go for a half-hour walk from home, I’ll usually see three or four discarded water bottles.

more…

Gravesham General Election 2024 Round-up

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. The polls were…

more…

Print Edition Three: The 2024 Election

This is the latest print edition of The Gravesend Journal. The first two were based on longer-term projects, The Table and Gravesend’s Lost Pubs.

This third edition tells the story of the recent 2024 General Election.

more…

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Posted

in

, ,

by

Nigel Rumsey

Tags:

, , , , , , , , , ,

Comments

One response to “Labour Win in Gravesham”

  1. Print Edition Three: The 2024 Election – Nigel Rumsey

    […] in the print edition and more are shown in the election posts Gravesham Election Hustings 2024, Labour Win in Gravesham and Gravesham General Election 2024 […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Discover more from Nigel Rumsey

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading