Residents living in a picturesque coastal town have been calling for a “revolution” as the crisis at Labour’s Government continues.
Shoebury, in Southend-on-Sea, voted for its first-ever Labour MP, as Bayo Alaba won the corresponding Southend East and Rochford constituency, with a majority of 4,027 over the Conservative candidate, Gavin Haran.
The Essex town was one of the 169 areas set to receive £2million every year for a decade under Labour’s Pride in Place programme.
However, residents in the coastal town have been left infuriated with Labour, as their annual conference enters its third day.
John Swanse was one of them, who expressed frustration with a lack of correspondence with Mr Alaba and recent comments made by the Labour front bench about the Unite the Kingdom march.
The 54-year-old told GB News: “I have voted Labour all my life. I will never vote for them again, and I will be voting for Nigel Farage and Reform.
“You can talk to 80 per cent of the people in this town and they will all tell you the same thing.
“I have a Muslim brother-in-law, and he was at the Unite the Kingdom rally earlier this month. He was made welcome there, and it was not a racist march.
“When you call an event like that racist, it dilutes when actual, genuine racism happens. I’m not saying we don’t have racism in this country, but it’s shocking when you see Labour call events like that racist.”
Residents in Shoebury have spoken out
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GB NEWS
Paul Munns, 61, added: “The whole of British Politics needs to take a look at itself. We need a revolution. The whole system is wrong.”
Lee Fox, 66, said: “Well, I don’t know too much about politics, but I think Starmer is struggling.
“I think there are a lot of people scared of Reform and Nigel Farage.
“Immigration is a big problem, but I don’t know if anything can stop it really. But it’s not like any Labour Government I’ve ever seen before.”
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The constituency voted for a Labour candidate for the first time
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GB NEWS
The constituency, first established in 1997, has returned Conservative MPs at every General Election, including former International Trade Minister and prominent Brexiteer, Sir James Duddridge.
However, there was no love for the Conservatives in the seat, with one resident calling the party under current leader Kemi Badenoch a “non-event”.
Danielle Smith said: “I would be interested to see how Reform does but I’m not fully sold on them yet. I think Labour and the Tories are a non-event now.”
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: “It just all feels hopeless.”
There was also a lot of ire for Rachel Reeves, with many suggesting there was a bleak outlook for future generations.
Robin said: “The Chancellor is fixated on growth, but she’s stifling it. My parents looked at our generation and knew they had a future.
“I looked at my kids and I thought they would be ok too. But I look at my grandkids and I think there’s no future for them.
“Look at the environment, look at the economy, look at immigration. We need legal immigration but it is too much.
“Last year was the first time in my life I did not vote at a General Election. We just could not bring ourselves to vote for any of them.”
Labour’s performance at the Party Conference has not proved popular
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REUTERS
However, some were more sceptical about how Reform could perform once in Government.
David Haydon, 67, said: “Keir Starmer lied and lied on so many issues. It’s not a personal issue but I cannot believe how bad it has gotten.
“I think we’re in a mess as a country.
“While Mr Farage is doing well in the polls, I don’t believe he can deliver what he’s saying either.”