The Conservatives have taken a West End council seat from Labour, with Sadiq Khan’s plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street among the issues raised on the doorstep. However, only 1,284 people even bothered to vote.
Tory candidate Tim Barnes, who was formerly a West End councillor and ran in the 2024 General Election, said the mayor’s “astonishing” announcement was among the concerns raised by residents alongside crime and the management of e-bikes. He added the result “really feels like it is part of a wider move and change of tide”.
The Tory vote share at yesterday’s by-election was up 8.5 percent on 2022, while Labour’s dropped more than 10 percent. On a turnout of just 16.77 percent, Cllr Barnes won with 627 votes. Labour’s Fiona Parker came second, with 489.
The by-election was called after former councillor Jessica Toale resigned following her success in July’s General Election, when she became the new Labour MP for Bournemouth West.
Cllr Barnes’ election means he joins two Labour councillors, Paul Fisher and Patrick Lilley, representing the West End.
The ward has been in the limelight over the last few days after Mayor Khan earlier this week revealed fresh plans to pedestrianise Oxford Street. The by-election meant discussions of the Mayor’s announcement at Wednesday’s Full Council meeting were largely prohibited.
Council leader Adam Hug, following a question from the opposition leader Cllr Paul Swaddle, did however promise to make it “very clear” to the Government and Mayor Khan the position of the council on the proposed scheme.
Following the result, Barnes said: “We have seen a big swing to the Conservatives in this by-election, and it really feels like it is part of a wider move and change of tide.
“Local people told us they were unhappy with Labour’s letting them down in Westminster and across London under the Mayor.
“Failings on crime, management of e-bikes and the astonishing recent announcement on Oxford Street pedestrianisation that rides roughshod over local democracy were all factors that were mentioned to us on the doorstep.
“I will now be picking these up and working to get them resolved when the current Labour councillors seem unwilling to criticise their party colleagues even when they know things are not working.”
Parker posted on X: “I’ve been proud to be the #Labour candidate in the West End by-election. Disappointed to lose but we can hold up our heads for running a positive and decent campaign against relentless negativity from the Tories. Huge thanks to all who supported.”
On Wednesday one local Labour activist was furious with Khan for making the Oxford Street announcement just two days before the by-election.
In an email seen by The Fitzrovia News, the West End ward resident wrote to Mayor Khan on the eve of the by-election to say:
“You may well have lost them this election. Perhaps you remember from your campaign of 2016 that there was a huge amount of local opposition to this pedestrianisation greenwashery. The Tories who then controlled Westminster realised this, and opposed it. People may well now turn to the Tories again. Great timing.”
Like others in the West End the activist raised concerns to the Mayor about the displacement of traffic past residents homes and the lack of a bus service on Oxford Street to serve shoppers unable to walk very far.
“I used to be a big fan of yours, and you’ve done a lot for London, not least on Ulez. But there are limits.
“For the first time in history Westminster has a Labour Council and two Labour MPs. We are overjoyed. Please, do not jeopardise this. People really, really do live in Central London,” wrote the local resident and Labour activist.
Additional reporting by Linus Rees.
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