Clacton-on-Sea: the ‘forgotten’ town that voted for Brexit

Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Coastal communities tend to act as bellwethers for the rest of the country during a general election. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

At Geo’s Fish Bar in Clacton-on-Sea on a sunny afternoon, business is quiet enough for Peter Serghiou, the manager, to take a break. He rests his forearms on the wooden counter and gazes out at the high street in the town where he grew up.

“I mean, I like it. I’ve been down here all my life,” says Serghiou, whose parents moved to the seaside town from Cyprus more than 70 years ago. “But I think for newcomers that come into the town, there’s nothing much for them worthwhile. If they don’t want to work in shops, there’s nothing.”