UK elections | Kerala-born mental health nurse scripts history; kin celebrate back home

Hailing from Kerala’s Kottayam district, 49-year-old Sojan Joseph on Friday (July 5) scripted history by becoming the first Labour candidate to win from Ashford since the constituency was created 139 years ago.

Having migrated to the UK in 2001, Sojan was among the 410 lawmakers of the Labour Party, which has been out of power for 14 years, elected to the House of Commons from Ashford.

Sojan, a National Health Service mental health nurse in Kent, defeated Damian Green, a former First Secretary of State and Conservative Party leader, by 1,779 votes in a seat considered safe for the Tories. Green represented Ashford for 27 years.

Sojan emerged as the first Malayali to be elected to the British parliament. Celebrations erupted among his friends and relatives back home in Kaipuzha, Kottayam. Sojan's wife, Brighta, is also a nurse, and the couple has three children. They migrated to Britain in 2001.

“I cannot describe in words how happy we all are. We had not slept all night and were eagerly waiting for the results. His triumph in such a big election makes us all so proud,” said his octogenarian father Joseph who cultivates paddy, rubber, and tapioca.

He revealed that 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.

Sojan did his graduation 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 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.”