UK election 2024: 49-year-old Sojan Joseph, leader of the Labor Party, has won the Ashford seat in Britain by defeating veteran Conservative Party politician Damian Green by 15,262 votes. Veteran Conservative Party politician Damien Green came second with 13,483 votes. Joseph’s victory in the Ashford seat is historic as it is the first time a Labor candidate has won the seat in its 139-year history. Until now, Ashford was a stronghold of the Conservative Party.
Addressed people online from Kent
Joseph defeated five candidates to win the seat, which has about 74,000 people. “Tonight is a historic moment,” he told Kent after his victory on Friday. “I have lots of other plans for Ashford, including improving the town center and high streets and helping small businesses.”
Joseph’s father expressed happiness over Joseph’s victory
Joseph, who hails from Kapuzha in Kottayam, Kerala, has been settled in Britain since 2001. He is a mental health nurse working for the National Health Service (NHS) in Kent. His wife Brighty is also a nurse and the couple has three children. The newly-elected Ashford MP is the youngest son of Joseph Chamakkalayil and the late Ellikutty. He has six other brothers and sisters. Joseph’s 86-year-old father is a farmer in Kerala. He expressed happiness over his son’s achievement and said – “I can’t tell you how happy we all are. We did not sleep the whole night and were eagerly waiting for the results. His victory in such a big election makes all of us very proud.”
Joseph was inclined towards socialism
Joseph’s father told that Joseph was not politically active while growing up. But he had socialist leanings which probably attracted him to the Labor Party in the UK. He became very politically active there. Started participating in marathons and boat races to raise money for social causes. It was really a tough fight for them. His family members told the media that he often visits his village in Kerala and last went there in March.
Joseph completed his schooling in Kottayam. After studying nursing (psychiatry) at Ambedkar Medical College, Bengaluru, she worked for a year in a hospital in Dehradun. He moved to the UK in November 2001 and joined the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. Joseph became a well-known figure among Indian immigrants there and joined the Labor Party around 2015.
Lesson learned from last defeat
Joseph contested a local council election in 2021, but was unsuccessful. Last year he was elected Labor councilor for the Aylesford and East Stour ward. Joseph is also an elected official for BAME, which represents the Black Asian minority ethnic communities, the newspaper reports.