Leonie Cooper, the current London Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth, has been voted in again, securing a double win for Labour in the constituency.
Cooper took the lead by over 27,000 votes with Conservative’s Ellie Cox coming in second place and Tania Marszalek in third, securing Labour’s position in Merton and Wandsworth for the eighth year in a row.
This followed the announcement that Sadiq Khan also received the constituency’s popular vote an hour before, installing a continued confidence in Labour.
With all previous ballots being electronic, Cooper said watching the physical votes being counted allowed her to feel reasonably positive during the process.
She said: “We’re going to see a Labour government very soon and I think most of us can’t wait for the prime minister to call the general election.”
The majority Cooper received has almost doubled from where it was three years ago – and said she hopes to continue her work on on tackling the climate emergency.
She said London ought to be at the forefront of environmental change and she’ll focus on nature and biodiversity across the constituency and London, ensuring we are meeting our Net Zero targets.
With the UK’s ambitious 2030 carbon emission reduction plan, Cooper said 2024 to 2028 is the key period to change the climate emergency that is getting worse and worse around the whole planet.
After witnessing Khan win by 34,628, Cooper said that she had hoped to reflect that in her own electoral race, and very nearly managed to do so.
Reflecting on the mayoral election, Cooper heavily criticised Conservative candidate Susan Hall.
She said: “It’s just been appalling, what she has been saying, and I really hope he beats her very thoroughly, very thoroughly.”
Cooper claimed the campaign tactics used by Susan Hall were negative compared to that of Khan’s and hopes that London will support Labour’s agenda in the mayoral election.
The newly appointed London Assembly Member for Merton and Wandsworth explained that she in light of her own win, she was delighted about taking on the responsibility for the next four years.
When asked about her next steps, Cooper smiled and said: “We’re just about to go up the road to an establishment that probably sells alcoholic beverages.”
