In a proud moment for Indians, Sojan Joseph has become the first Keralite to have been elected to the British Parliament, sparking celebrations back home.
The 49-year-old, who represented the Labour Party, won from the Ashford constituency after defeating Conservative Party candidate Damien Green by 1779 votes.
A native of Kottayam, Sojan migrated to the UK in 2001 after completing his nursing education in Bengaluru. Since then, he has been working as a frontline mental health nurse in the National Health Service (NHS).
Taking to X, Joseph said: “Thank you for the honour of being elected as the first Labour MP of Ashford constituency. I am humbled with the trust you all placed in me and fully aware of the responsibilities comes with it. I will work hard for everyone in Ashford, Hawking and villages.”
Joseph was among the 410 lawmakers from the Labour Party who have been elected to the British Parliament. The election results brought an end to the 14 years of Conservative rule.
One of key priorities for Joseph as MP is to rebuild NHS by reducing the waiting times, quicker access to GP and dentistry services and use of enhanced technologies for early diagnosis and treatments.