by political editor Paul Francis

Ed Miliband has been urged to spell out a clear message on the economy and immigration if he wants the party's fortunes to be restored in Kent.

Former Gillingham MP and government minister Paul Clark said the party had not been explicit enough about how it would tackle the deficit and had failed to challenge myths around immigration.

Mr Clark said both issues were key priorities if Labour was to be in with a chance of recapturing seats it lost in Kent at the election and winning back the 87,000 voters who had deserted it since the 2005 election.

"People thought we had lost our connection with them and their lives and their aspirations," he said.

"They recognised what we had done but there was not enough about where we wanted to go [as a government]."

On immigration, he said the party had not been direct enough and had allowed myths to develop around its impact.

"There was no question that we had substantial success compared to the early years in terms of clamping down on arrivals.

"But with the economic downturn and with jobs being lost, we probably needed to be seen to be doing more and be clearer in getting the message across.

"Some of people's concerns were folklore but some of it was real."

But he said a key priority would have to be establishing the party's economic policy.

"The most important thing is making sure we have a robust and successful economy. That is what matters most."

He denied that Ed Miliband would be in thrall to the unions, saying he was his own man.

"Whoever had been elected would have had some label attached to them.

"This is not the old days of the union block vote determining policy."