Candidate Marina Masuma Ahmad will return for another term at the London Assembly under the Labour banner.
This follows a comfortable win for Labour candidate Sadiq Khan in the London mayoral election, with Khan’s vote in Lambeth and Southwark constituency increasing by 10,000 votes since the 2021 elections.
Throughout her campaign Ahmad has enjoyed informing her constituents that her report, Growing Hungry, published in October 2022, prompted Sadiq Khan to implement an £130 million project to supply free school meals to junior pupils.
Khan implemented the policy in February 2023, with Ahmad describing the announcement as “one of the best moments of my life.”
Planning to continue the policy, Khan’s manifesto for Mayor of London pledged to make ‘universal free school meals permanent for all state primary school children’.
Ahmad’s share of the vote marginally dropped in the Labour stronghold of Lambeth and Southwark, since the previous London Assembly election in 2021, with the Greens, the Liberal Democrats and ReformUK all increasing their share.
Labour still achieved a resounding victory with over 48% of the vote.
Commenting on today’s win, Ahmed shared that she was: “absolutely delighted – and very grateful to the good people of Lambeth and Southwark.”
Green Party candidate Claire Sheppard was pleased with the increase in the Green’s share, increasing 0.5%, from 19.7% to 20.2%.
Speaking about the campaign, Sheppard mentioned that: “in Lambeth and Southwark its very hard to get past the tribalism of Labour voting – but we’re working on it.”
Earlier in the day Shephard affirmed her commitment to role, saying: “I think, as the elections pass, more and more people are realising that I’m not only a credible candidate but that I really want the job.”
The Liberal Democrat candidate, Chris French, came third with 12.7% of the vote and the Conservative candidate came fourth with 12.1%.
The Conservative share of the vote fell by 4.4% from the election in 2021.
