Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has paid a visit to Kent ahead of tomorrow’s local elections.

He was joined by deputy leader Angela Rayner to address the party’s Medway candidates and supporters at the Sunlight Centre in Gillingham in the final hours of campaigning before the polls open.

The pair gave speeches of encouragement ahead of Thursday’s council vote, which will see residents decide who will run the unitary authority area which has only ever been majority ruled by the Conservatives since its creation in 1998.

Introduced to the crowd by Medway Labour leader Vince Maple, the two MPs thanked the crowd for their hard work campaigning for the election.

Deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “We know the cost of living crisis has really, really harmed people here.

“People are genuinely scared about the cost of their rent, the cost of their energy bills, the cost of their food.

“Everybody across the whole of Medway is feeling the pinch at the moment.

“It’s the local council services, the local NHS, the local transport services, that have really suffered because of the 13 years of Conservatives.

“They’d like you to think that none of this can change, but we know it can.”

Sir Keir said: “We desperately need change and I think you can sense that in the air. People are saying, give us a chance now to actually make a change here.

“In these final hours we need to go out and say to everybody there’s a real choice at this election. We can start council by council by council.

“What a place it would be if we were to succeed here in Medway. What a message it would send if we win here.”

The MP continued that the party would freeze council tax to combat the cost of living, as well as cut crime with neighbourhood policing, and introduce the “biggest workforce expansion the NHS has ever seen in its history”.

It is the party leader’s second visit to the Towns in a month.

On April 1, he went to Gillingham Labour Club, where he met with prospective councillors and gave speeches to members inside the club.