Council by-elections: Labour wins in London and Essex as Tories lose seats

Labour won a seat from UKIP and held two other seats with increased vote share in the latest round of council by-elections.

In the eleven contests held yesterday, Labour made a gain in Basildon’s Pitsea South East ward, Essex. Traditionally a Tory-Labour marginal, it became a three-way marginal following the rise of UKIP in 2012, according to Andrew Teale of Britain Elects. Last night Labour’s Andrew Ansell won a tight race with 46.1 per cent of the vote against the Tory candidate’s 45.6 per cent.

Elsewhere in Basildon, law trainee Kayode Adeniran successfully defended Lee Chapel North ward for Labour, increasing vote share by 20 per cent. He was congratulated on Twitter by Wes Streeting MP and Unite’s Shelly Asquith.

So proud to be elected as a councillor for Lee Chapel North! Looking forward to standing up for local residents, and speaking on the issues which matter. #labourhold #Labourdoorstep #votelabour pic.twitter.com/CM9zLunHSJ

— Kayode Adeniran (@Kayodeeee) June 21, 2018

In Dawn Butler’s Brent Central seat, the death of Councillor Lesley Jones days before local elections on 3rd May meant the Willesden Green ward election was postponed.  Elliot Chappell, parliamentary assistant to neighbouring MP Tulip Siddiq, was selected, and stood alongside new candidate Fleur Donnelly-Jackson and Open Labour’s Tom Miller. All three were elected last night, and Labour now has 60 of 63 councillors in Brent.

Congratulations to our 3 new councillors in Willesden Green and to all the helpers. Thankyou…@TomMillerUK @elliot_chappell #fleurdonnelly-jackson.

Not 1 lib dem turned up to the count. How disrespectful to voters. @CllrButt has 60 out of 63 councillors. Congrats. pic.twitter.com/epbvK3WSVs

— (((Dawn Butler MP))) (@DawnButlerBrent) June 21, 2018

Elsewhere, the Tories held onto three but lost two (including a Conservative stronghold in South Northamptonshire) as the Liberal Democrats made two gains.

LABOUR GAINS

Pitsea South East (Basildon)

Labour gain from UKIP

Labour: 46.1 per cent (+11.2)

Conservative: 45.6 per cent (+16.1)

UKIP: 8.3 per cent (-27.4)

LABOUR HOLDS

Willesden Green (Brent)

Labour: 67.2 per cent (+24.2)

Greens: 11.5 per cent (-1.7)

Conservative: 11.2 per cent (+4.2)

Lib Dems: 10.1 per cent (-5.7)

(No ‘Make Willesden Green’ as (-21.0) as previously.)

Lee Chapel North (Basildon)

Labour: 57.4 per cent (+20.0)

Conservative: 25.0 per cent (+2.7)

UKIP: 13.6 per cent (-22.4)

BNP: 3.9 per cent (+3.9)

(No Lib Dem (-4.2) as previously.)

OTHER

Birch (Fenland)

Conservative hold

Conservative: 62.1 per cent (+5.9)

Lib Dems: 21.5 per cent (+6.9)

Independent: 16.4 per cent (+16.4)

(No UKIP (-29.2) as previously.)

Quorn & Mountsorrel Castle (Charnwood)

Conservative hold

Conservative: 51.5 per cent (-7.7)

Labour: 21.8 per cent (-5.1)

Lib Dems: 16.7 per cent (+16.7)

UKIP: 10.0 per cent (-3.8)

Astwell (South Northamptonshire)

Conservative hold

Conservative: 76.9 per cent (-0.9)

Labour: 23.1 per cent (+0.9)

Oxhey (Watford)

Lib Dem hold

Lib Dems: 55.3 per cent (-3.5)

Conservative: 28.1 per cent (+4.7)

Labour: 16.6 per cent (-1.2)

Alcombe (West Somerset)

Lib Dem gain from UKIP

Lib Dems: 39.2 per cent (+39.2)

Conservative: 27.1 per cent (+0.9)

Independent: 19.9 per cent (+19.9)

Labour: 13.8 per cent (-5.4)

(No UKIP (-22.2), Independent (-18.4) or Green (-13.9) as previously.)

Whittlewood (South Northamptonshire)

Lib Dem gain from Conservative

Lib Dems: 56.7 per cent (+56.7)

Conservative: 36.5 per cent (-63.5)

Labour: 6.8 per cent (+6.8)

Bicester West (Cherwell)

Independent gain from Conservative

Independent: 40.5 per cent (+40.5)

Conservative: 33.0 per cent (+16.0)

Labour: 20.2 per cent (+8.3)

Greens: 3.3% (-1.7)

Lib Dems: 3.0 per cent (+3.0)

(No UKIP (-11.7) and other Independents (-54.2) as previously.)