British election: Kerala-born mental health nurse among Labour Party winners

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Joseph, 49, a National Health Service mental health nurse in Kent who contested his first parliamentary elections, created history by becoming the first Labour candidate to win from Ashford since the constituency was created 139 years ago.

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He defeated Damian Green, a former First Secretary of State and Conservative Party leader, by 1779 votes in a seat considered safe for the Tories. Green represented Ashford for 27 years.

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In Kerala, Sojan Joseph’s family was flooded with congratulatory messages. His 86-year-old father Joseph said, “I cannot tell you how happy we all are. We had not slept all night and were eagerly waiting for the results. His win in such a big election makes us all so proud,” said the father who cultivates paddy, rubber, and tapioca.

He said his son was not very active politically while he was growing up. “He was mostly busy with studies. But we could tell that he had socialist leanings. Maybe that is what attracted him to the Labour Party. He became very active there, running in marathons and participating in boat races to fund social causes,” he said. On his political leanings, the father said they have always been supporters of the Congress. “My father was a local leader of the party.”

Sojan Joseph’s sister-in-law, Jancy Simon, said her brother-in-law was last in Kerala in March. “We are eagerly waiting for him to visit again soon.”

Sojan Joseph completed his three-year undergraduate course in nursing (psychiatry) at Bengaluru’s Dr BR Ambedkar Medical College before moving to the UK in 2001. He unsuccessfully contested a local council election in 2021. Two years later, he won the local poll.

After his victory on Friday, Sojan Joesph told Kent Online, “Tonight is a historic moment. Improving the town centre and roads, and helping small businesses are some of the things I plan to do for Ashford.”