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How did Canterbury vote in the Brexit referendum?

Last night Rosie Duffield defied Jeremy Corbyn by voting that Britain should retain access to the single market after Brexit.

Her stance has been met with a mixed response, with many applauding her for standing up for the views of the people of Canterbury, while others accuse her of voting against her own constituents.

But did Canterbury actually vote to leave the EU?

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield (1072216)
Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield (1072216)

Well, yes and no.

Unlike the General Election, the results of the Brexit vote were released by local authority areas, and not by Westminster constituencies.

So, the official result for the Canterbury district - 51% to Leave - included all city council wards within Canterbury, Whitstable, Herne Bay and the surrounding rural villages.

But the Canterbury district is split when it comes to constituencies, with Herne Bay, and a very small section of the rural regions, part of Sir Roger Gale’s North Thanet ward.

(2542674)
(2542674)

Canterbury and Whitstable, plus most of the rural areas, form part of Rosie's Canterbury and Whitstable constituency.

When the vote is broken down, Rosie's constituents actually voted to Remain, owing largely to the huge Leave vote in Herne Bay being discounted.

When you - admittedly quite crudely - add the rural wards to the vote in Canterbury and Whitstable, the constituency voted 52.8% to remain.

Using his own data model, Chris Hanretty, Professor of Politics at Royal Holloway University, puts this figure higher at 54.7%.

So, the Canterbury district voted Leave, but the Canterbury constituency - which Rosie represents - voted Remain.

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