Rochester and Strood: the battle might be over but there’s still a war to win

When Mark Reckless announced his defection back in September it was not long before I realised that I was in the centre of a huge political fight. The media immediately dubbed it the ‘Battle for Rochester and Strood’ and it certainly felt that way. A battle in a wider war for the kind of country we want to live in.

And, like any battle, it is only possible to analyse the lessons learnt in the aftermath.

First and foremost we must begin by taking the threat of UKIP seriously. Yes ultimately it is ex-Tory voters and a Conservative party in chaos that has engineered their recent success, but Labour cannot simply rely on divisions amongst the Right to secure electoral victory. UKIP change their policies as often as I change my shoes (which is often). In Rochester and Strood, rather ironically, they made the NHS their top priority. This shameless tactic, coupled with a general disenchantment with the establishment, was able to get them over the line. In this instance the Labour movement rose to the challenge and realised that defeating our political enemies in UKIP was more important than any internal party interest, but it is vital that we continue on this trajectory.

Secondly we should not be afraid to make the positive case for immigration. As the child of migrants, I was bought up in a tolerant and welcoming Britain; that is a Britain worth fighting for.  I get the problems, the sense of someone else getting the fruits of our labour, and sense that maybe the certainty of yesterday is better than the prospect of what tomorrow might bring. The Tories and UKIP spent the by-election fighting over a myth, that we can shut ourselves off from the ‘big bad world’ to solve our problems. We should not give any legitimacy to this argument. Immigration comes with its set-backs, but is good for Britain. Labour has policies to deal with the rough edges and we can put those in place without stemming migration, not least because the voters know that close behind come great opportunities and future prosperity.

Finally, as party we can leave no stone unturned. It was no surprise that the areas of the constituency where UKIP did well had, over the years, felt a sense of abandonment by Labour. That is not a message we can allow to resonate across the south east. In Kent we held seven seats before 2010 and held Gravesham from 1997-2005. This is Labour territory. Voters here are no different from the rest of the country and they need to know that Labour still cares about and understands their concerns. In Rochester and Strood this meant running a visual and highly visible campaign, something that UKIP does well, with their open-top buses and regular street stalls. (Although this does not replace conversations on the doorsteps it proved to be a useful tool).

They need to hear a message of security – that what they have will not slip away; they will be able to pay their mortgage, have good schools for their kids, and an NHS they can rely on. But they also need to see a party that offers a hopeful future. One where their children will get an apprenticeship or go to university, where they can get a better-skilled, better-paid job or start a small business and become their own boss. We are the party to deliver these aspirations and we should not be afraid to say so, because this is the essence of our values- that every person should have the best chance in life, regardless of their background or financial situation, and it is this vision for our country which makes me Labour.

Although this time we did not win the battle, I believe that we started something that can lead to a win in the electoral war. It is up to us to ensure we do not lose that momentum.

Naushabah Khan is the parliamentary candidate for Rochester and Strood