Claire Holland believes Labour’s crushing majority in Lambeth is a clear sign that people have lost faith in the Conservative government.
The leader of Lambeth council since June 2021 retained her Oval seat on a day when the sole Conservative representative, Tim Briggs, lost his, leaving the Tories without a presence in the borough.
The former councillor in the Clapham Common and Abbeville ward reportedly left the Oval as soon as he realised the votes were stacked against him.
58 Labour councillors were elected out of a possible 63 and Holland went on the offensive against the incumbent Tories after the result was announced.
She said: “This is a government that’s out of touch and it’s arrogant. It’s a Conservative cost of living crisis that people are having to deal with and live through.
“People are saying this is not the government for them. We’ve got an energy crisis. We’ve got a climate crisis and we know the inequality gap is growing and was exacerbated by Covid.
“People see that, and people see a government that doesn’t care. People see a government that’s out partying, while we’re all complying with the rules.
“It’s time for Boris Johnson to go and it’s time that we had a Labour government in Downing Street so we can deliver for the country and not just for the people of Lambeth.”
Holland was also very pleased with the trust the people of the borough have shown to re-elect a Labour majority in Lambeth.
She said: “I think it’s a massive endorsement from the people of Lambeth. We’re really proud of that. We’re really proud of the manifesto.
“We’re proud that the people of Lambeth have elected the most diverse group of councillors, who are genuinely committed to being advocates for their local community.”
On the other hand, it started out as a what-could-have-been day for the Green Party as they narrowly missed out on targeted seats in Herne Hill & Loughborough Junction and Gipsy Hill.
Labour’s Deepak Sardiwal took one of the Green’s five Lambeth seats at the former, despite a hefty vote share for Green candidates Celeste Hicks, Paul Valentine and Nick Christian.
The Greens initiated their national campaign in Gipsy Hill and Pete Elliott, councillor since 2018, lost his seat by 45 votes (1271).
Shamin Nakalembe also failed to steal a seat off Labour despite amassing 1,170 votes herself.
Elliot tweeted this shortly after the results were announced:
“Just outside reflecting on today and the past few weeks. Shamin and I are really disappointed to not have been chosen to represent Gipsy Hill Ward. We are determined that this will not stop us representing our community and giving a voice to those who need support.”
The Greens did manage to hold two of their seats in Streatham St Leonard’s, however, and the Liberal Democrats also took a couple in the newly-created Streatham Hill West & Thornton to ensure Labour didn’t achieve a clean sweep in the borough.
