Predictions for Maidstone and Malling

Transcript

00:00But before we do that, we're going to go and talk to Gabriel Morris.

00:02He's in Maidstone and Moorland, which is one of the seats which has been very much affected by boundary changes.

00:07Gabriel, what are things looking like there?

00:11Evening, Rob. Hope it's all going well down in Medway, just down the Bluebell Hill in Moats Hall in Maidstone.

00:19This is a leisure centre. You can smell the chlorine in the air.

00:22In fact, when I arrived here, scuba divers were here doing their weekly training, but they've all gone.

00:28Election agents are in and some candidates are starting to come in for the Maidstone and Moorland seat,

00:33and also the Faversham and Mid Kent seat, which is also being counted here this evening.

00:38Now, you are right, there have been boundary changes here.

00:43Now, in Maidstone and Moorland, it's a Tory stronghold and they have lost some of their key areas,

00:49such as Headcourt and gaining Lib Dem areas as well.

00:54Now, in the polling, Reform have been coming second in some of those polls alongside Labour and Lib Dems.

01:00And actually, one poll, Labour could be winning altogether.

01:03But the exit poll suggests that Conservatives will win both in Maidstone and Moorland and in Faversham and Mid Kent as well.

01:14So it seems those boundary changes might have not had as big of an effect as we may have thought before,

01:20as this seat was potentially all to play for.

01:23But we're still only at, what time is it now, 11.30.

01:28We're told the count, the final count, will be in for around about 4.30 this evening.

01:33So, Rob, it's looking like we still have a long way, a long five hours to go until we know for certain.

01:38But at the moment, the answer on the ground is that the Conservatives are going to hold both seats.