Walton-on-the-Naze is a small seaside town in Essex, a few miles south of Harwich. Long stretches of sandy beaches meet the murky waters of the North Sea, which I can see from my kitchen window. In June, the small community who live here – around 12,000 souls – await the onset of the tourist season, with visitors coming largely from other parts of the county. This is a place that still supports a Pie and Mash shop; anywhere that can make a living from supplying jellied eels must have a strongly traditional clientele. Like similar locations dotted on our shorelines, there is a preponderance of bungalows and static caravans, catering to an aging population, with more than half of us here over 50.
One of the reasons Walton feels like a throwback, is its seclusion from the outside world. Colchester is less than 20 miles away, but the winding single carriageway roads that lead here, can take up to an hour to navigate during peak periods. It’s the same duration on the train, meaning that the 85 miles from here to London Liverpool Street takes just under two hours. Hence the relatively cheap housing for a seaside location in the South East. Jaywick, further down the coast and also within the same constituency, is even more isolated and infamous for being the most deprived area in the UK.
Electorally, the town would be insignificant other than for one reason: it is one of the seaside resorts along the Tendring peninsular that forms the constituency of Clacton, where the most popular politician in the UK is standing for election – his eighth attempt to gain a seat in Parliament.
Farage for Reform
Nigel Farage was here the other weekend, campaigning by the pier, which although the third-longest in the UK, is partially closed. Despite having been bought by a local businessman eight years ago, with a promise of rejuvenation to turn it into a major attraction, the landmark is looking dilapidated, which the owner blames on the effects of Brexit. Ironic, given that this constituency was the second highest ‘Leave’ voting enclave in the UK.
This is why the Reform party have targeted the Clacton constituency as being the one most likely to, finally, put the suffix ‘MP’ after their leader’s name. There are other factors that will favour him: Giles Watling, the Conservative incumbent, is a Remainer, a local man who achieved a 24,000 majority at the last elections. However, as a former thespian, he is better known for his appearances on Bread and Allo Allo than for his achievements in office, and his constituency tried deselecting him. In addition, the previous MP was Douglas Carswell, the first elected MP for UKIP.
An unexpected rival for a ‘traditional’ town
As for the opposition, prior to the arrival of Reform to the party, Labour selected a 23-year-old politics graduate as their candidate, the kind of Party nomination that aims to bloody young acolytes without serious risk of their success. There is however one additional factor that means it’s unlikely that Jovan Owusu-Nepaul will get elected: he’s Black.
Walton is one of those places where one does a double-take on seeing anyone of colour. It reminds me of my brief time living in the West country.
When I first moved to East Anglia 25 years ago from Birmingham, I was wary of living somewhere without multi-cultural roots. Having lived in Handsworth, and having from birth, Black members of my family, the prospect of being in a wholly white community wasn’t appetising. While Ipswich, where lived when I first moved to this part of the country, does have a strong Afro-Caribbean / Asian presence, Walton, where I’m living most of the time now, is not so diverse.
As this article goes to press, The Guardian has published a piece alleging that Labour have effectively pulled out of campaigning in this constituency, and their Facebook page barely features their candidate, who is apparently now campaigning for Labour in the West Midlands. This adds yet more drama to the fight for this seat, despite the result being an almost foregone conclusion.
What do locals think?
I catch up with Peggy as she leaves the local, newly-opened Aldi. We walk together for a little while as she pushes her walking frame back towards home. She’s lived here since retirement, husband dead, children grown-up and working elsewhere in Essex. So, what does she think about the Reform candidate? “’E’s a character, innhe?” she says. “’E’s not like that lot in Westminster; ‘e’s not one of them; ‘e’s not afraid to call a spade a spade.” I don’t press her on whether there is an intentional racist undertone in that last statement. I ask her what her thoughts are on the outgoing administration. “Never again. Thank God I’ve got a choice this time. Wouldn’t vote otherwise.” Her voice breaks slightly. “Fifty-five years of marriage, and I couldn’t say goodbye to him. Had to look through a window. Couldn’t hold his hand. And all the time, they were carrying on regardless, partying. Never again.”
In the small outdoor courtyard of a local pub, Mike and I are enjoying a cigarette. My age, he moved here a few years ago when the kids left home – always wanted somewhere by the sea, and house prices here are still the right side of ruinous. He’s a builder, and runs his own small company. “This is one of the few places the East Europeans didn’t take over the trade,” he says with satisfaction. “Great workers, don’t get me wrong, but they’ve put some of my mates out of business. Just too many of them. Last time I went to Colchester – Christ, I thought I was in Russia or somewhere. Don’t hear English spoken any more in the big places. We’re a small island, we can’t just keep on taking them in.”
So, is the result a foregone conclusion?
Reform will, of course, take Mike’s vote. As I said, Walton’s a ‘traditional’ English town. However, as per a previous article I wrote, it is not a sea of Reform posters. Since I wrote that several weeks ago, a few posters have appeared in the windows here, but not many, and support for Reform seems, I would say, lukewarm at best.
From my conversations with residents in Walton, there was the sense that Westminster was even more distant than the transportation links suggest. Brexit is a topic no-one wishes to engage on. The politicians from the mainstream parties are seen as one amorphous, self-serving blob, who’ve collectively sold the UK down the river. Boarded-up shops and a crumbling pier serve as reminders of the economic decline communities like this have experienced, which make new arrivals to the political scene so appealing. Despite everything, I do like it here; but I’m not expecting much of the man who is almost certain, it would appear at time of writing, to be my next MP.
And what do the polls tell us?
While the numbers do vary from one poll to another, most agree that Reform will win this seat. The latest from the Electoral Calculus of 24 June gives Reform 41% with Labour second at 26%.
