EU referendum round-up and reaction across the county

Kent voters played their part in delivering a surprise Brexit at the referendum with all bar one area voting for the UK to leave the EU.

Of the 972,205 people in Kent who voted – a turnout of 76% of the 1,279,875 people eligible to vote – just under 60%, 575,615, backed a Brexit while 41% backed the call to stay in the EU.

The repercussions of the outcome continue to cause political turmoil and uncertainty but the result in the county was decisive.

Only one of the 13 districts – Tunbridge Wells – bucked the trend with voters there narrowly backing the remain campaign.

Gravesham emerged as the area with the highest number of Brexiteers with 65.4% of its 35,643 electorate voting to quit compared to 18,876 (34.6%) wanting to stay.

It was followed by Dartford, where 35,878 (64.2%) voted to leave compared to the 19,985 opting for the status quo.

In east Kent, there was less of a surprise in Thanet, an area where support for Ukip is strong. There, 46,079 (63.8%) backed Brexit compared to 26,065 (36.2%) voting to stay.

And in Dover, there was a gap of 15,804 between the out voters – 40,410 – and those who wanted to stay– 24,606.

In the Medway towns, antiEU feeling saw a comprehensive out vote with 88,997 backing Brexit compared to 49,989 wanting to stay.

Canterbury saw the narrowest margin for Brexit – 40,169 wanted to stay, compared to 41,879 who wanted out.

The county’s more prosperous areas demonstrated antipathy to the EU, with voters in Sevenoaks and Tonbridge and Malling both supporting the leave campaign.

The results showed that in many parts of the county, voters and their MPs seemed out of step on the issue.

Nine MPs who wanted to stay found their constituents did not.

They were: Damian Green, Ashford; Charlie Elphicke, Dover; Helen Whately, Faversham and Mid Kent; Helen Grant, Maidstone and the Weald; Sir Roger Gale, North Thanet; Damian Collins, Folkestone and Hythe; Tom Tugendhat, Tonbridge and Malling; Michael Fallon, Sevenoaks and Kelly Tolhurst, Rochester and Strood.

The MPs who voted to leave, reflecting their constituents’ wishes, were Julian Brazier, Canterbury; Gareth Johnson, Dartford; Rehman Chisthi, Gillingham and Rainham; Adam Holloway, Gravesham; Gordon Henderson, Sittingbourne and Sheppey and Craig Mackinlay, South Thanet.

Chatham and Aylesford MP Tracey Crouch declined to indicate which way she voted.

Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark was the only remain MP to see his vote reflected by the electorate.