EditorsLabour has taken the West Central London Assembly seat for the first time, ousting the Tory incumbent by just over 4,000 votes.
The constituency, which includes Fitzrovia West and covers the boroughs Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster, also backed Labour in the mayoral vote, on a day when incumbent Sadiq Khan won an historic third term.
Conservative Tony Devenish, who has held the West Central seat since 2016, said it has been a “huge honour” to represent the area, and that his priority “will always be the people in this part of London”.
James Small-Edwards, who won with 46,831 to second-place Devenish’s 42,578, said the result was “humbling” on a day when his party picked up both the local constituency and Mayoral votes.
Labour’s official line on the day, as elsewhere, was that the race would be close, with no room for complacency. The first result to be announced were the local votes for the London-wide mayoral race, with Khan securing over 10,000 more than second-place Susan Hall, the first time Labour had won in West Central.
Cllr Stephen Cowan, Labour Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, described the result as a “huge endorsement for Keir Starmer’s Labour Party”. He continued: “We’re winning significantly in areas that we’ve not won before, and while there’s no complacency, it bodes well for Chelsea and Fulham, the City of Westminster, and Kensington in the General Election.”
Prior to the London Assembly announcement, several candidates spoke of a want for change picked up while out campaigning. Nicola Pateman, of ReformUK, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she was “confident” the people of London and West Central want something new.
“I care deeply about this part of London, I care deeply that it’s not as wonderful as it used to be,” she said.
Green candidate Rajiv Sinha, while acknowledging the mayoral result as “not surprising”, similarly expressed hope at picking up support in the constituency vote. “I think the constituency will go along more positive lines, just on account of my experience of campaigning and canvassing across all of West Central,” he said.
Local turnout was down when compared with the 2021 elections, from 39 percent to 34.94 percent. Devenish won by just over 2,000 votes four years’ ago, after being run close by Labour’s Rita Begum.
Following today’s result, Devenish, who is also a Westminster City councillor, told the LDRS: “It’s been a huge honour, they are the three best London boroughs, and I am biased but it’s my home. The best parts of the country by far.”
“The reality is my priority will always be the people in this part of London and I will serve them on Westminster Council, and I’m determined to retain the three Conservative [parliamentary] seats which form parts of the West Central GLA [constituency].”
Small-Edwards said it was “really humbling” to be elected as the first Labour London Assembly Member for West Central on the same day the party won the Mayoral vote. “I think it shows that our priorities as a party chime with those of ordinary Londoners, and that also is a story which I think is being played right across the country,” he said.
Small-Edwards added continuing support for the cost of living crisis will be one of his key aims on the London Assembly, alongside more affordable and social housing and action to combat climate change.
Like Devenish, Small-Edwards is also a Westminster City councillor, where he is the deputy cabinet member for planning and economic development. In the London-wide mayoral race, Sadiq Khan won an historic third term, securing over 276,000 votes more than Conservative candidate Susan Hall.
Full West Central results:
- Tony Devenish (Conservative) – 42,578
- Christophe Noblet (Liberal Democrat) – 14,505
- Nicola Pateman (ReformUK) – 8,040
- Rajiv Sinha (Green Party) – 12,427
- James Small-Edwards (Labour) – 46,831
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