A new Labour MP who stepped down from his council post to focus on his role in Westminster has seen his party narrowly lose the seat in a by-election. Ashford’s Sojan Joseph announced last month he would be giving up his role as councillor for the Aylesford and East Stour ward. The 49-year-old, who ousted Damian Green as the area’s MP in July, had held the Ashford Borough Council (ABC) seat since May 2023. However, in a letter to residents last month he said he would be standing down to concentrate on serving Ashford in Westminster. A by-election was subsequently called with 21% of residents h…
