Additional reporting by Sofia Akin

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has been visiting Medway this morning.

The leader of the opposition met with party members as they prepared to hit the doorsteps in Gillingham.

Sir Keir's visit comes just less than a month before residents go to the polls on Thursday, May 4.

Medway Labour Group Leader Cllr Vince Maple assured those gathered at Gillingham Labour Club that the visit was not an elaborate April Fool's joke.

The MP's visit included meeting and greeting with prospective councillors, giving speeches to members inside the club in Twydall Lane, and speaking to the press.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I think the very important thing - and you have seen it this morning here in Medway - is Labour has changed, is facing the voters, is optimistic, and wants to build a better Kent, wants to build a better Britain.

"Many people I am meeting here in Kent are saying to me they are fed up now with 13 years of a Tory government which has done nothing for them.

"If you ask people, 'do you feel better off? Is your hospital better? Is your health service better? Is anything better after 13 years of Tory rule?', most people say 'no, actually nothing has changed'.

"So I want to bring a positive case for change, to say we need to fix the problems are facing you, but also, to get to grips with the fundamentals that will change the country around, turn it around.

"We are a great country with great potential, we are just not using that potential and with a Labour government, we can unleash that here in Kent and across the country.

"People are crying out for a bold, reforming Labour government."

Asked if Rosie Duffield, Kent's only Labour MP, had his backing at the next election after she resigned from her frontbench role over breaking lockdown rules, Sir Keir said: "Rosie Duffield is a really important voice in the Parliamentary Labour party and I want every member of the Parliamentary Labour party to be treated with tolerance and respect.

"People are crying out for a bold, reforming Labour government..."

"Canterbury is a very important seat for us. I also want the party to focus on some of the difficult issues here."

But this afternoon the Canterbury MP tweeted her disappointment, claiming she had not being informed of the Labour leader’s visit to Kent.

During his visit to Kent Sir Keir also spoke of wanting to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, hospital waiting lists and spoke out against council tax hikes during the cost of living crisis.

This week, Medway Labour Group put forward 59 candidates for Medway's full council election.

Since it was created in 1998, the unitary authority of Medway has only ever been majority ruled by the Conservatives.

Nominations for all parties will be announced on Wednesday, April 5.