Starmer’s Labour trounced by left independents in by-election in Streeting’s back yard

Disastrous collapse for Labour to Redbridge Independents as local voters desert red Tories

Keir Starmer’s Labour party saw a dramatic collapse of just under 45 points last night in the Mayfield by-election, in the back yard of right-wing Health Secretary Wes Streeting, to lose to the local left-wing independents group:

Ilford Independents: 42.5% (New)
Labour: 26.1% (-44.7)
Con: 19.4% (+3.6)
Reform: 4.8% (New)
Libdems: 3.9% (-3.0)
Greens: 3.3% (New)

The result will terrify NHS privatisation enthusiast Streeting, who has taken cash from private healthcare interests, boasted of going further than the Tories in cuts and warmongering, faced protests outside his office by anti-genocide demonstrators and came within less than 600 votes of losing to pro-Palestinian candidate Leanne Mohamad of the Independents in last July’s general election.

Redbridge and Ilford Independents Chair Vaseem Ahmed said of the result:

This evening, Labour suffered its worst local election defeat in Redbridge for over a decade. Ordinary working people rejected a party that no longer represents them. Labour’s contempt for ordinary people was exemplified by their inaction towards former ward Cllr and Ilford South MP, Jas Athwal, who as leader of Redbridge Labour Council, failed to licence his many rental flats, whilst enacting rules that forced everyone else to do so.

The same Jas Athwal was also found to have rented ant-infested, mould-ridden, and substandard rental properties to vulnerable tenants and who, as Parliament’s biggest landlord, also owned a property with a failing care home. A rogue landlord, as described by many tenant rights groups, Athwal thought he and the local Labour party he led for over 10 years could get away with this atrocious behaviour. Today, voters have given him and his supporters an almighty shock! Our party defeated Labour by nearly 2 to 1 in vote share, as its support collapsed in one of its former heartlands.

This momentous result shows that people desperately want change. Noor Jahan Begum, our fantastic local candidate, proved that ordinary people can make a difference with organisation, tenacity and solidarity.

Together, we defeated the politics that think it can with total impunity, attack our NHS, cut benefits to the poorest in society, including the disabled and old-age pensioners. A Labour Party that thinks nothing of arming and supporting Israel as it commits a genocide in Gaza is not a party of peace and internationalism. This wasn’t the change most people voted for in May last year. They now see how their living standards have drastically fallen whilst £billions are wasted on promoting war. The people wanted change back then, but instead, they got Keir Starmer and his right-wing clique intent on destroying our democracy.

But we know the battle is far from won, not by any means! Labour still have over 50 Cllrs and two MPs, but we will challenge them for every one of these seats as Redbridge & Ilford Independents. We are now a serious and organised opposition in the borough. Only we can defeat Labour in Redbridge and that is what we intend to do.

We would also like to pay a special tribute to our amazing team of dedicated, hard-working volunteers who came from near and far, all united in their determination to restore democracy and accountability in our politics.

Our fight is for a fairer, more equal society driven by honesty, integrity, and transformation. They are the pillars of our grass-roots movement.

Tonight, we toast a historic victory, but tomorrow, we continue our work!

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