Labour has failed to win Chingford and Woodford Green, with the party’s candidate Shama Tatler and former candidate Faiza Shaheen splitting the left vote and allowing former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith to cling on.
Just 79 votes separated Labour’s Shama Tatler from the party’s former candidate Faiza Shaheen in the east London constituency, which Labour has never won but improved its tally in and nearly took in 2019.
Read more general election coverage (article continues below):
Liveblog: Live updates, analysis and reaction to key Labour results all night
Labour results tracker: Full list and map of Labour gains, holds, losses, new MPs
Seats to watch: Guide to key constituencies to follow results in – and when
Seats at risk: The seats where Labour looks vulnerable
Email briefing: Our must-read daily newsletter on all things Labour
Shaheen, on the left of the party, was dramatically and controversially deselected after the election was declared. Tatler is a Brent council cabinet member and senior figure in the pro-Keir Starmer Labour to Win campaign group.
The Tory vote fell by 12.6 percentage points but Labour’s fell by 19.4%.
A spokesperson for left campaign group Momentum said: “This is an embarrassing own-goal by the Labour leadership.
“Their treatment of Faiza Shaheen, a talented socialist who won a democratic selection process, was a disgrace. This is a clear example of the political costs of riding roughshod over the rights of Party members. The purges must stop – no ifs, no buts.”
Read more of our 2024 general election results coverage:
Candidate map: See Labour PPCs nationwide with swing needed, previous MPs and recent polling
Last pitch: ‘New age of hope and opportunity’, promises Keir Starmer
Unthinkable: ‘Is total Tory wipeout definitely in Labour’s interests?’
Read more on what could come next for Labour in power:
Day one: What would happen on Starmer’s first day in charge?
100 days: What would happen during the first 100 days of a Labour government?
Delivering pledges: ‘Change is hard – how can Labour achieve it?’
Manifesto: ‘12 great policies you may never have heard of’
Foreign affairs: ‘Whatever happens to Biden, Starmer faces a US challenge’
Trilemma: IFS warns Starmer will likely have to pick cuts, debt or tax hikes
Read more on how Labour fought this campaign in key battlegrounds:
Aldershot: Can Labour win the ‘Home of the Army’ for the first time in a century?
Bolsover: Labour’s Natalie Fleet on death threats, Dennis Skinner and class today
Brighton Pavilion: Can Labour win the Greens’ one seat?
Bristol Central: Inside Labour’s battle to counter the insurgent Green Party
East Thanet: Inside the battle for coastal ex-UKIP stronghold not won since 2005
Edinburgh endgame: The seat where SNP defeat would signal Labour majority
Dover and Deal: Small boats and Tory mutineers: Can veteran Mike Tapp win?
Finchley and Golders Green: Can Labour win back Britain’s most Jewish seat?
Glasgow South West: Meet the NHS doctor fighting one of Scotland’s tightest marginals
Monmouthshire: ‘Why this CLP is setting the standard in this campaign’
Sheffield Hallam: ‘Can Labour’s Olivia Blake hold on in Nick Clegg’s old seat?’
South West: Could Labour take ‘non-battleground’ Tory seats?
Wimbledon‘s battle of the bar charts: Inside a rare election three-horse race
SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour or the election – contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
DONATE: If you value our work, please donate to become one of our supporters here and help sustain and expand our coverage.
PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or content, email [email protected].
More from LabourList
John Prescott: Updates on latest tributes as PM and Blair praise ‘true Labour giant’
West of England mayoral election: Helen Godwin selected as Labour candidate
John Prescott obituary by his former adviser: ‘John’s story is Labour’s story’