By Willis Bennett and Kate Pounds
December 12 2019, 03.05
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Fleur Anderson secured Labour’s first seat in Putney since 2001, claiming 22,780 votes with a 4,774 majority over the Conservatives.
Labour’s victory followed the swing-trends from the 2015 and 2017 general elections, where Labour registered swings of +2.6% and +10.8% respectively.
Conservative candidate Will Sweet earned 18,006 votes, the Liberal Democrat’s Sue Wixley received 8,548 and Green Party candidate Fergal McEntee saw 1,133.
Mrs Anderson said: “This is bright light in a dark night.
“I’d like to thank my husband and children – I will be able to find out what you’ve been doing for the last year now.” she joked.
Mrs Anderson added: “I’d like to thank every single supporter that came out, so many times, over the weeks, all for different reasons.”
Mrs Anderson thanked all those who put faith in her campaign.
She said: “Doctors and nurses and teachers and charity workers and parents; everybody had a story to tell and I loved meeting everybody.
“This has been a people powered campaign, we made an amazing team.
“Even in the rain the positivity and optimism about the future was incredible.”
Putney voted 72.24% remain in the EU Referendum and lost to the Conservatives in the 2017 general election by 1,554 votes.
Mrs Anderson said: “The Labour party must not stop in our efforts to block Boris Johnson’s hard Brexit.
“We could now be facing five more years of austerity and that is heart-breaking for all those who supported us and voted for Labour.
“Five more years of a disaster for our NHS, schools, police and planet.
“But I look forward to being a strong voice in Westminster for people in Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, for every single person.”
