Since records began, there have only been two incidents of a Labour MP in the entire, beautiful county of Dorset. Out of a possible 216 terms since 1885, in office across the varying Dorset constituencies, only 27 have elected a non-Conservative MP. And today, all 8 seats have Conservative MPs.

In the local councils, separate until this month, the picture has been much the same. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole were all usually Conservative-led, with this being the case in Bournemouth for eight out of the last nine council sessions. Labour has never had more than a handful of seats.

But in 2017 something changed. In the general election which took so many by surprise, Bournemouth saw Labour gains of 18.9%. Poole saw 16.6% and Christchurch (4^th largest Conservative majority in the UK), its highest to date at 10.3%. The Conservative majority in Bournemouth East and West was cut so deeply that both are now marginal seats, with Labour less than 8,000 votes away from winning.

And just last night, we saw the latest landmark. At the first meeting of the new Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority, the Conservatives, having lost their majority on the 2nd of May, failed to keep control or hold any positions at all. An alliance between the many other parties has taken over and within this was elected a Labour Vice Chair and Labour Cabinet member. The Tories didn’t join the rest of us afterwards for a celebratory drink.

This followed the recent local elections where we stood solid, socialist candidates. Most of these had never stood for election before and were notably younger and more working class than the incumbents. Against the backdrop of a Brexit backlash and coming from nowhere, in Bournemouth East we won 3 council seats.

On top of this, when I returned home last night to hundreds of messages of solidarity from people across the country, I saw that the latest Kantar and Hanbury Strategy polls have Bournemouth East as a Labour parliamentary gain.

These are not isolated incidents. On the day of the general election results in 2017, exhausted and euphoric, we listened as Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell told members to be in “constant campaign mode”. I, and other local members, took this literally. We joined Labour to win elections and will not share in the Conservatives’ assumption that our area is their birthright. For most of us in Dorset, this isn’t just a fight for Labour, this is a fight for Corbyn’s Labour.

With an increase in membership, many times over, Bournemouth Labour has been reborn. Grass roots members’ determination for change is growing into political savvy. Nurturing and training our team has led to a huge increase in active membership, positive campaigning and deeper relationships within local communities. We’ve sought best practice & support from the wider party to create an exciting local manifesto and strong social media presence. We are also hugely proud of our new, highly active Young Labour group, which saw a member and LGBT+ Officer elected as one of the area’s youngest councillors.

If this all sounds a little over-optimistic, I understand your scepticism. I might be biased. But you couldn’t say the same for my opponent, current Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood. Rather than thank his local party’s volunteers and candidates on the day of the local results, he tweeted only to say that “these results… were a true test of national opinion. And we are losing.”

Ellwood spent as little time as possible at the counting venue and displayed no involvement whatsoever in the local campaign. He, like the Tories in Bournemouth, was demoralised. His cheery tweet finishes “Tories must wake up; take stock, refocus, regroup, re-energise. Or this won’t be a low point but a pit stop in our way to Opposition.” For the first time, I totally agree with him.

So what now? Leaders of local Labour parties across Dorset are in conversation, sharing ideas, resources and battle plans. We have been left behind by the party machine for so long, we know we must create victory by ourselves. I’ve always been a fan of an underdog story and here in Bournemouth we have one of the best.

Our football team, with its tiny but proud stadium, has no place in the Premier League, yet there it is. I recently interviewed local legend Steve Fletcher about how they achieved this impossible success. Teamwork and commitment, he said. Labour in Bournemouth, and across Dorset, have both in buckets. Watch this space.