Labour's Molly Hartill has secured a seat on Lambeth Council in a by-election held in the Myatt's Fields ward, following the death of long-serving Labour councillor Annie Gallop in August. The result was declared in the early hours of Friday, October 9, on Lambeth Council's website.
By-election results and turnout
Voting took place on Thursday, October 8, with Hartill winning 47 per cent of the vote (1,026 votes). The Green Party's Sonia Winifred came second with 37 per cent (815 votes), while Liberal Democrat Christopher David French secured 9 per cent (189 votes).
Conservative candidate John Francis Hindson finished fourth, followed by Reform UK's Mark Mckee, Yemi Awolola of the Christian Peoples Alliance, and Anya Krycek of The Socialist Party of Great Britain.
Hartill's reaction and tribute to Gallop
Hartill wrote on X that she was "so proud" to be elected as a Labour councillor for Myatt's Fields. She said: "It’s been a local campaign focussed on local issues and hope. I’m so excited to represent Myatt’s on @lambeth_council and carry on the work of our brilliant late colleague, Annie."
The by-election was triggered after Annie Gallop, who had served as a Labour councillor in Lambeth for more than a decade, died in August.
Double victory for Labour in London
The Lambeth result comes alongside a second Labour by-election win in London, with Sagal Abdi-Wali winning the parliamentary seat for Holborn and St Pancras. Abdi-Wali secured 45 per cent of the vote (12,292 votes) in the by-election triggered by the resignation of former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski came second with 33 per cent (8,928 votes), followed by Conservative Ewan Cameron with 1,922 votes. Reform UK's Pete Newman, Liberal Democrat Patrick Stillman, and Restore Britain's Tyler Johnson followed in that order.
Abdi-Wali's historic win
Abdi-Wali, who became leader of Camden Council in May, is the first British-Somali MP. She said: "This place gave me hope and opportunity when my family needed it most, and I want every single young person in this community to feel that same opportunity."
Prime Minister Andy Burnham congratulated Abdi-Wali on a "fantastic campaign" and expressed his eagerness to work together.
