Sir Keir Starmer and the candidate for Gillingham and Rainham says its time for change, though some voters on the high street remain unconvinced.
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00:00 A different kind of a wayside at Priestfield Stadium, but as Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy
00:08 Angela Rayner stormed the pitch alongside many of Kent's hopeful Labour candidates,
00:14 it's clear the only goals they have in mind are those that will help them sway Kent voters
00:19 ahead of the election.
00:20 Last time under a Labour government, Gillingham was in the same league as Manchester City.
00:26 So that's a good place to start. So whether you're a family that's been battling the cost
00:32 of living, dealing with anti-social behaviour, whether you're a business that's been struggling
00:38 for years against the odds of the economy that's in chaos under this government, well
00:44 you've served your country.
00:47 We've done whatever way.
00:49 This election is for you because you now have the power, the chance to end the chaos, to
00:58 turn the page and to rebuild Britain.
01:02 At the moment, Kent's political landscape is divided between two Labour MPs and 15 Conservatives.
01:12 But that didn't faze the Labour leader when I spoke to him earlier today.
01:17 With Kent such a historically Conservative county, why are you launching here in Medway
01:22 today?
01:23 Well, Kent is very important to us, it's very important to me. I grew up on the Surrey-Kent
01:29 border, I know this area very, very well.
01:32 What we're doing is signalling how big the challenge is that we face. Not a single vote
01:38 has been cast, we have to earn every vote.
01:42 We had good election results in Kent in recent years. We wouldn't want to build on that,
01:48 but we will take our argument with confidence to Kent and to other parts of the country.
01:56 As you can see behind me, Keir Starmer just mingling with the Medway Labour group. They're
02:00 quite hopeful that their candidates will win in the next election. Both Gillingham and
02:05 Raynham and Rochester are target seats and it could be a hotly contested election battle
02:11 here in Medway.
02:12 So it was so important that the campaign today was launched in Gillingham and Raynham and
02:16 in Medway because people here are so desperate to see change across our communities. We're
02:21 facing huge challenges, whether that's from the cost of living crisis or people feeling
02:26 that there's a lack of hope for the future. So the fact that both Keir Starmer and Angela
02:30 Rayner were here today shows what Labour has to offer communities like this and it's a
02:35 real opportunity for change in our country but also change here.
02:38 But the voting public on Gillingham High Street haven't all been swayed.
02:42 I am now Conservative, I used to be Labour until I seen the last three years in.
02:47 It's just the same with whoever comes in, but we definitely need a change, that's for
02:51 sure.
02:52 Give him a chance because listen, Conservatives have had this going for a while, bro, and
02:58 nothing's changed.
02:59 I don't think there's any candidates worth voting for, to be honest.
03:03 While an Independence Day election may not offer freedom from party politics, the uncertainty
03:08 on the streets of Medway shows it's not a done deal just yet.
03:13 Oliver leads the sacks for KMTV in Gillingham.