A Labour candidate who is taking the fight directly to Nigel Farage has already won one battle: that of best-dressed would-be parliamentarian.
The polls may be tight, but Jovan Owusu-Nepaul - who graduated from Goldsmiths University in 2022 before gaining his masters in history at Cambridge University - has been sparking conversation on Twitter for his stylish fits.
Borrowing inspiration from 1970s menswear, the wannabe MP has been snapped door-knocking and handing out leaflets wearing a succession of excellently put-together outfits, ranging from a knee-length camel-coloured trench coat to V-neck patterned sweaters and soft velvety cords in forest green.
Like, come on. Has anybody - anybody - ever looked this good eating chips on a beach before? Even the seagulls are staying away out of respect for the look.
Jovan Owusu-Nepaul wearing an impeccable sweater while not being harassed by seagulls (Martin Suker)Over on Twitter, people have been going wild for Jovan's sartorial choices. "Fab photo of Labour candidate Jovan Owusu-Nepaul in Clacton, I hope he gets to be an MP as the man can rock knitwear," wrote one.
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Said another: "This is the man who might make all the right wing flag s****** cry into their pints of Stella. This suave mofo is Labour’s @jovanforclacton, going up against #Farage. C’mon Clacton, this is your guy. Farage? Barely knows where your town is."
A third tweeted: "The guy belongs in a GQ seasonal spread. Legend!" And another pointed out: "He could be minister for style."
Having joined the Labour party at the age of 17, Jovan is now going head-to-head with Reform UK leader Farage for the Essex seaside seat of Clacton, in what is increasingly becoming a tense three-way battleground.
Jovan joined the Labour party aged 17 (Martin Suker)The latest Survation polling by Best for Britain shows Farage's party in the lead with 30.73% of the forecast votes - narrowly trailed by the Tories at 29.44% and Labour with 27.59%, meaning tactical voters have a very interesting decision to make on July 4.
Jovan's mum is a midwife, and he grew up watching her work long hours in the NHS. He was affected by the Tories' closure of Sure Start centres and in 2021 wrote an article for a newspaper calling on the government to tackle the growing mental health epidemic made worse by successive Covid lockdowns.
"Our prospects appear bleaker than those our parents once enjoyed," he wrote. "We don't get grants for university, we can't save for a house deposit in an inflated housing market, and paying back our student loans now feels like an incomprehensible task due to high rents and fewer job opportunities."
Jovan has been out campaigning in a wardrobe straight out of the 1970s (Martin Suker)He added: "Twentysomethings have helped keep the country running and have compromised as much as anyone else during the pandemic, and yet our futures are overlooked and remain uncertain. I urge the government to focus on the young this decade, or else fail an entire generation."
It's a message that has come up again since Jovan was selected as the Labour candidate for this battleground seat. "I've watched the Tories oversee managed decline of our coastal communities, like here in Clacton," he said in his introductory video. "It's only with a Labour government that we can revitalise our coastal communities and our seaside towns, bringing opportunity to our area, giving you a voice and ensuring that there is stability in our economy.
Jovan even had a run-in with Nigel Farage in Clacton - and the pair shared some warm words (Martin Suker)"It's about time that MPs worked for their communities and not for themselves. Britain needs change after 14 years of tired Tory government. Nothing works, you can't get a GP appointment, our schools are crumbling and people are living in poverty. What we need now is action - not loud voices," he added, in a veiled jibe at his political opponent.
When they ran into each other in Clacton's high street, Jovan greeted Farage and said there was "more in common than divides us". Farage agreed, adding: "We disagree on the vision — and that's OK."
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Even the umbrella is on brand (Martin Suker)It comes after Labour leader Keir aimed a rare quip at Farage when unveiling his party's manifesto last Thursday. Warning the audience present that there was no "rabbit out of the hat" policy in the document, Starmer added: "If you want politics as pantomime, I hear Clacton is nice this time of year."
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