Kentish Express Ashford & District
Kent decisive, but what does future hold?
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, just under 60% – 575,615 – backed the leave campaign while 41% wanted 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 35,643 voting to quit compared to 18,876 wanting to stay.
It was followed by Dartford, where 35,878 voted to leave compared to the 19,985.
In east Kent, there was less of a surprise in Thanet, an area where support for Ukip is strong.
There, 46,079 backed a Brexit compared to 26,065 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, anti-EU feeling saw a comprehensive ‘out’ vote with 88,997 backing a Brexit compared to 49,989 wanting to stay.
Canterbury saw the narrowest margin – 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.
Seven MPs who wanted to stay found their constituents did not.
They were: Damian Green, Ash- ford MP; Dover MP Charlie Elphicke; Faversham and Mid Kent (Helen Whately); Maidstone and the Weald (Helen Grant); North Thanet (Sir Roger Gale); Folkestone and Hythe (Damian Collins); Rochester and Strood (Kelly Tolhurst); Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks) and Tom Tugendhat (Tonbridge and Malling).