Jeremy Corbyn will be good for the party in Kent - because his views on refugees and immigration chime with those of voters.

That is the view of Labour election candidate Will Scobie, who contested the South Thanet seat at the election, said Mr Corbyn’s views would connect with the large numbers who deserted Labour in May.

He said local party membership had trebled over the course of the leadership campaign.

“I think Corbyn is good for Kent. He came and supported my campaign three times and held one of his last rallies in Margate, so he knows the area well,” said Mr Scobie.

“A lot of the big issues he is talking about, such as immigration and the need for more social housing, are issues which are important for Kent. One of the broader reasons that people are talking about immigration is the insufficient levels of new housing and not enough places in primary schools."

"You can’t blame immigration for the lack of housing and low wage levels.”

He acknowledged it would not be easy for a Corbyn-led party to recapture support from disaffected supporters.

But he said there was evidence in Europe left-wing parties could succeed by offering an anti-austerity programme.

“It is not going to be easy. Nobody expected him to become leader but if you look at places like France, it has been demonstrated that there is a place for a left-wing prospectus.”
The leadership campaign had seen a dramatic rise in new local members from “right across the political spectrum”, he added.

Labour saw its support in Kent plummet at the general election and it failed to win its two key target seats.

In South Thanet, it had hoped to split the Ukip and Conservative vote but got squeezed and was pushed into third place and its share of the vote fell by 7.6%.