Labour's Clacton Candidate Says He's Running "For Every Black And Brown Person" In UK

Labour candidate Jovan Owusu-Nepaul has said he is running against Nigel Farage in Clacton “for every Black and brown person in the country” and believes the Reform UK leader’s decision to stand has “changed the nature of the campaign”.

Owusu-Nepaul, 27, is a Labour staffer working in the party’s external relations team who was chosen to fight the Essex seat before the general election was called – and before anyone knew he would be going up against Farage.

In an exclusive interview with PoliticsHome, the Labour candidate was asked how he felt when Farage announced his candidacy during the campaign after insisting that he would not stand for Parliament.

“My grandparents who came to this country in the 40s and 50s, who had to deal with ‘no dogs, no Blacks, no Irish’, and so many other people like myself who came here with that level of racism – it felt like all of that history had culminated to this fight,” Owusu-Nepaul said.

“It became about the future of this country and who and who isn't welcome here.”

He added: “I feel like I'm doing this for every Black and brown person in the country, and doing this for a lot of working-class people in the country."

It has been argued that the incumbent Conservative candidate Giles Watling would have the best chance of winning against Reform UK in Clacton, and that Labour should take a back seat.

“If I'm honest, of course I've thought that, because in my hearts of hearts I would rather the Tory get back in than have Farage,” the Labour candidate replied candidly.

Owusu-Nepaul also defended his bid, saying there should be “a genuine alternative put in place for the people of Clacton” pushing for “progressive ideas”.

A new poll by Survation, commissioned by former Ukip donor Arron Banks, has