Kent's only Labour MP believes her party has focused more on winning votes in the north than in her home county.

Canterbury's Rosie Duffield believes her left-wing colleagues have "an awful lot of work to do" to make gains in the Garden of England.

The politician also claims that it seems as if Kent "doesn't matter as much" as the "red wall".

Speaking to the BBC from the Labour Conference, she said: "It would be nice if we just felt that we were just as important.

"It feels a little bit as though Kent possibly doesn't matter as much as some of the other areas like the 'red wall'."

In an interview with BBC, the parliamentarian argued the party must "show itself a bit more around" the county.

Ms Duffield questioned whether Sir Keir Starmer had visited the area since becoming leader, recommending he do so to learn about the issues being faced in the region.

"I'm the only one in Parliament talking about those issues with our farmers and the impact of Brexit and the things directly affecting us, like tourism," Ms Duffield added.

"So it would be nice to know that Kent was being listened to."

Ms Duffield was elected to Parliament in the 2017 after defeating the incumbent Conservative MP Julian Brazier, who had held Canterbury and Whitstable since 1987.

The constituency had been exclusively represented by Tories since its creation in 1918.

Responding to the MP's concerns, Labour Party bosses told the BBC it was focusing on parts of the country that had been "neglected", including the South East.

The party's shadow levelling-up secretary, Lisa Nandy, said: "This country is far too regionally unequal, and this Tory government has written off the contribution of most people in most parts of the country.

"That's not a north-south divide.

"We are going to prioritise those areas of the country that have been neglected, and that absolutely includes the South East and other parts of the country as well."