ANTI MIGRANT RANTING BACKFIRES

This Kerala nurse made it to British parliament riding the anti-immigration wave

Aswin J Kumar

Published: July 06, 2024 

Sojan Joseph with his family. Photo; Special arrangement

Sojan Joseph who became the first Keralite to become an MP in the British parliament not just rode the anti-incumbency wave but was aided by the effect of Nigel Farage's right-wing Reform UK party in the General elections. It was ironic that the Reform UK party which termed the polls ' the immigration election' and had a manifesto saying ' We will freeze immigration and stop the boats' indirectly helped a mental health nurse from Kerala create history.

Sojan Joseph took down the heavyweight Damian Green with a majority of 1,779 votes. Tristram Kennedy Harper, the Reform UK party candidate polled 10,141 votes. The difference between Conservative party candidate Damian Green and Harper was just 3,342 votes. The impact of votes polled by Reform UK party's Harper becomes visible while considering that in 2019, Damian Green had got 37,270 votes in Ashford and his majority was 24,029 votes. Following the reconfiguration of the constituency, the electorate came down from 94,054 to 76,212.

Sojan Joseph gained only 2,000 votes more than Dara Farrell who had contested as Labour party candidate in 2019, yet he recorded a historic win. He became the first MP from Labour party to represent Ashford in its 139 year old history. A Keralite who actively campaigned in the UK General elections said that Sojan's victory was simply glorious and that he also benefited from the sweeping effect of Reform UK party.

Sojan Joseph. Photo: Special arrangement.

CNN reported that Reform UK party's stand on immigration appears to have won over a considerable number of socially conservative voters with Reform UK candidates splitting the right-wing votes and contributing to the Conservatives' losses. The party has won five seats in the parliament securing 14.3 per cent share of the vote. BBC quoted polling expert Sir John Curtice as saying that Reform had benefited from a significant fall in the Conservative vote in seats the party had previously held.

Sojan Joseph in an interview with KentOnline said that he understands first-hand the experiences people are struggling with. '' I have worked in the NHS for more than 20 years and talk to patients every day. Becoming an MP means it's not about me but the people, and I want to learn a lot of things,'' he told the news portal.