Strength of feeling shows

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 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.

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

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.

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

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 the Medway Towns, anti-eu feeling saw a comprehensive ‘out’ vote with 88,997 backing a Brexit compared to 49,989 wanting to stay.

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, Ashford MP; Dover MP Charlie Elphicke; Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately; Maidstone and the Weald MP Helen Grant; North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale; Folkestone and Hythe MP Damian Collins and Rochester and Strood MP Kelly Tolhurst.