The campaign to increase Labour support in the South East was always going to be an uphill battle as the Tory-party money machine, backed up by vast sums from Lord Ashcroft, flooded swathes of the South East with posters, leaflets and activists in order to win what they consider to be their seats by right.

I and my team were active across the region and got a warm reception in all the Labour-held constituencies we visited. A constant theme throughout the campaign was the energy and commitment displayed by Labour representatives and activists from across the South East: their drive and determination to get out the vote on behalf of ensuring a fairer Britain was a constant source of inspiration for me.

Although there were numerous disappointments on election night, no-one could accuse former MPs like Michael Foster, Jonathan Shaw and Paul Clark of not defending their slim majorities. Their loss from Parliament will surely be felt.

There were a number of Labour MPs who were returned successfully. When I went on the campaign trail in Slough with Fiona MacTaggart (pictured, second from left) it was clear that the community was well-behind their local Labour candidate, her re-election is testament to the hard work she and her staff have put in during her time as MP.

I was also privileged to be able to help out Andrew Smith in Oxford East who was returned as MP for the area.

Credit must also go to John Denham and Alan Whitehead and their election teams for all their hard work in ensuring that Southampton has two Labour MPs! There are those who think the South East is a Tory zone; thanks to the work of numerous committed Labour activists and representatives that is not the case!

My commiserations to all those hard-working Labour MPs who unfortunately lost their seats. With the election of a new leader in September the Labour Party in the South East will begin the re-building process that I am sure will result in much less blue and much more red come the time of the next election.

Labour’s campaign for the General Election is in full swing across the South-East. Labour’s pledges are to :

• Secure the recovery
• Raise family living standards
• Build a high tech economy
• Protect frontline services
• Strengthen fairness in communities

So far I have been pleased to join members on the campaign trail:

* in Reading West where Naz Sarkar is standing (photo top left), Anneliese Dodds PPC for Reading East (photo top right)and Matt Rodda PPC for East Surrey (photo bottom left) were also there

* in Gillingham and Rainham where Paul Clark is seeking re-election

* in Chatham and Aylesford where Jonathan Shaw is seeking re-election

* and in Portsmouth North where Sarah Buckley-Ryan is seeking re-election

This is a crucial election - the Tories isolationist and backwards approach to Europe alone underlines the importance of the choice at stake.

I am looking forward to joining the campaign trail in a constituency near you.

South East residents are rightly proud of the variety of birdlife in the region, particularly seabirds, with the seabird sanctuary in Dungeness one of the premier sanctuaries in the UK.

It is with this in mind that I have contacted the new EU Commissioner for fisheries, Maria Damanki, requesting she take swift action to approve and implement an EU action plan for seabirds.

Birdlife International recently revealed that up to 2 million seabirds have died in the last 10 years as a result of fishing industry practices in the waters around Europe and the Atlantic. This unnecessary slaughter must not be allowed to continue.

The action plan – which the EU committed to producing over a decade ago – will introduce minimum mitigation standards across Europe’s fishing fleet to minimise the by-catch of birds by European fishermen, and require greater reporting of bird deaths.

Alongside other Labour Euro MPs I will continue to keep the pressure up on the Commission to publish and implement the action plan, meanwhile residents in the South East interested in the subject can join me in signing an online petition to register their desire for the speedy implementation plan at the following address -  http://www.birdlife.org/eu/EU_policy/Fisheries_Marine/seabird_pledge.html

On Tuesday 2nd March I was interviewed alongside Nigel Farage of UKIP on BBC Radio Kent. The topic of discussion with the childish antics (again) of the UKIP head-honcho. He made a fool of himself again during this interview. Listen for yourself.PeterSkinnerNigelFarage