Close to 4,000 people took the opportunity to vote in Britain’s first constituency referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. The result was resounding, with 80.27% voting NO to the question “Should the United Kingdom be a member of the European Union?”.
As someone who has campaigned their whole adult life for Britain to be an independent country, governing ourselves, controlling our own borders, and trading freely with the whole world, I am delighted with this result.
It has been nearly 40 years since the British people had a say on Europe. In that time so much has changed and people feel the EU is heading in a direction they never signed up for.
In coming months my pilot referendum in Rochester and Strood will be replicated and taken forward by other Conservative MPs around the country. I expect that those will also show support for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, even if not always by quite such an overwhelmingly sound margin as in the Rochester and Strood constituency.
With the Labour party against offering a referendum, and UKIP unable to deliver one, only a Conservative government can and will give us the chance to vote for an independent Britain in a nationwide referendum.
Mark Reckless | UKIP 
What a great result. Perhaps the Government will listen if this result is replicated in other Constituencies. It is time for Britain to ‘go it alone’ and govern itself.
Let’s trust that we return a Conservative majority next time and David Cameron keeps to his word and goes for an early Referendum in 2015!
Mark its very very sad that you believe Cameron will give us a referendum, he loves being in the EU. He will find reason after reason to not give the people one. I work in the food business and day after day loads of regulation takes place under the radar. Even though the Conservatives believe one in and one out
Its a great shame that the elite in Westminster do not understand the common person like me. My family and I have always been Tories but I will never support them (or any other of the 3 old parties) because the trust has gone
Your headline is misleading. According to wikipedia, the electorate in your constituency is around 75,000 of which the 4,000 who voted is in no way representative. Obviously, people who feel the strongest are more likely to reply so the whole thing is flawed. This is backed up by latest opinion polls which currently show a majority in favour of staying in the EU (http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/8724)
Well said Ed.
4,000 no way endorses any kind of ‘Yes’ vote.
Mark may be anti Europe, but strangely very pro Irish.
That aside Medway has and always will be ethnically diverse, this vote is just about playing on fears.
The right wing is on the march again.!
I did not partake in what i perceive to be an absurd reactionary stunt. There has been no debate in regard to pros or cons of EU membership other tha the right to govern. Given the utter contempt in which some UK goverment ministers & MPs hold the people who elect them I think it is
damn fortunate that there is a higher court where there is a right to challenge their actions. The return of less that 10% shows 90% of your
constituents are not as interested in this topic as you are. Incidently i do hope as a taxpayer i am not funding what appears to be an unrepresentative and pretty pointless
activity in any way!
I agree wholeheartedly with Hilary’s comments. A cost of over a £1 per response based on the stated cost of running the so called referendum. Even the BBC are reporting that the people of Medway have voted overwhelmingly against remaining in the EU – total hogwash! The money would have been better spent on the Medway Foodback and not on the vanity driven publicity stunt of an MP who sets his own aganda that seems to be well aligned with the views of UKIP
What were the results of the second and third parts of the Mark Reckless survey?
Who will you vote for in the local elections?
Who will you vote for in the 2015 general election?
As for the comments of ‘ED’ regarding the validity of the survey, just think back to the Police Commissioner so called election when just 13% of those eligible voted for Ms, whatever her name is, and she was elected, was that representative or even democratic? To my mind 13% for means 87% against!
The Conservatives want to take your human rights away. Europe is your last refuge.