Labour has taken a key bellwether seat by the slimmest of margins.

The Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency has a new MP for the first time in 14 years after Kevin McKenna's victory.

Bundles had been recounted and then laid out on a table so agents and candidates could see the majority visually.

Just 355 votes split the Labour Party and the Conservative Party in the event with Reform UK not far behind.

The seat has continued its trend as a bellwether seat for the winning party since 1997.

Some 41,088 people have voted in Sittingbourne and Sheppey marking the lowest turnout for the seat in its history - 51.97%.

This is down 10% on the 2019 election – 61.2%.

NHS professional Mr McKenna told KentOnline his first concern once he’d assumed office was to tackle the “incredibly low” number of GPs.

“It was quite a long count so I am absolutely exhausted but I also feel elated and really honoured to be the MP for such a great place,” he said.

“I want to bring to this a degree of professionalism and assurance but also connection to everyone here on the ground.

“So for me, being an MP, it's not just about Westminster it's actually about really being fully feet on the ground here.

“It was a massive win here compared to where Labour were in relation to the Conservatives in 2019, and actually the previous election so this is a big turnaround.

“My job over the next few years is to show people that were right to put their faith in me and to show people that they were right to put their faith in the Labour Party, and not make it just talk.”

Longstanding Tory Gordon Henderson held the seat for the Conservatives from 2010 but has now retired from politics.

The Eastchurch resident won a thumping 24,000-strong majority the last time voters headed to the polls.

Trying to fill Mr Henderson's shoes but falling short was fellow Tory Aisha Cuthbert, who was previously a councillor in Bromley.

She left the count soon after the vote was declared and did not give an interview.

Reform UK candidate William Fotheringham-Bray was hopeful after seeing positive results and predictions for the party elsewhere in the country prior to the result.

He remained “optimistic” thanks to the 10,512 number of votes he won and coming in third.

He added: “It shows there is an appetite for Reform and change here and I am excited for the future of the party here in Sittingbourne and Sheppey.

“I am sticking with the party and we are here for the long run and I hope I can play a big role.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Frances Kneller said after the result that she was not surprised to see the Labour victory but said it shows the “country is going in another direction”.

She added: “It looks like the seat is well and truly a bellwether.

“Labour is in the ascendancy and Reform is now in the picture.”

Green Party candidate Sam Banks said she was feeling “nervous” at the prospect of the seat being in different hands before the result.

She added: “I think the campaign has gone really well, lots of people have said they have got my leaflets and will vote for me.

“I would love to say I am going to win but we are looking to increase our turnout and get the Green message out there that there is change and difference.”

Meanwhile, The Swale Independents’ candidate Mike Baldock hoped his campaign had “brought up the issues that are important to people”.

He added: “The campaign has gone really well with people being really positive and they want to support someone outside of the mould.

“But at the same time, they want to vote X to stop Y so our political system needs changing.

“For me, success is keeping my deposit, getting 2,500 votes and coming fourth.”

Independent candidate Matt Brown says turnout is likely “very low” because of voter apathy.

He added: “It’s my first rodeo as an Independent so I am looking at every vote as a win.

“I value every single vote, and this is the start of something and not the end game.”

Mad Mike, the candidate of the Monster Raving Looney Party, says his campaign has been limited to licenced premises.

He added: “The last pub I visited on Tuesday, The Heritage at Halfway, 100% of the people in there said they would vote for me so if this is typical, I will win 100% of the votes and be the MP.”

Mr Henderson is not running for the first time since 2001 but is in attendance.

He said: “It’s a strange, bizarre situation and an unusual experience but it removes a lot of the pressure from you.

“Our local campaign has been excellent, very positive and has gone well but the proof will be in the pudding at 4.30am.

“I have never been confident, even when I was facing a 24,000-majority.”

Sittingbourne and Sheppey voters have backed the winning party each time since the seat was formed in 1997.

From then until 2005, Labour’s Derek Wyatt won three consecutive elections.

In 2005 he managed to hang on to the seat by just 79 votes – and that was after a recount.

Altogether the electorate stands at some 75,000 – as per the 2021 census.

The votes were counted at The Swallows leisure centre from 10pm onwards with the result announced around 4am.

*All candidates standing in the seat: Frances Kneller, Liberal Democrats; Kevin McKenna, Labour; Aisha Cuthbert, Conservative; Sam Banks, Green Party; Mike Baldock, Swale Independents; William Fotheringham-Bray, Reform UK; Mad Mike Young, Monster Raving Loony Part; Matt Brown, Independent.