By Lucille Brobbey and Elizabeth Cook
December 13 2019, 11.35
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Vauxhall’s Liberal Democrat candidate Sarah Lewis and Conservative candidate Sarah Bool were both defeated by Florence Eshalomi who achieved a majority of 19,612.
Ms Lewis – who advises businesses and charities on playing a positive role in society – drew in an increase of 677 votes for the Liberal Democrats since 2017 where they won 11,326.
The Brixton resident said: “When it comes to what local people are saying here, obviously this is a heavily Remain constituency, but also people really want to see change.”
She said there was a situation where the incumbent MP was not standing and so people were going to get change either way.
“I am very proud to have been able to listen to people across the constituency and give them a positive choice.”
The Liberal Democrat candidate, who previously worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, says that she is going to continue campaigning.
In response to Jo Swinson’s loss, Ms Lewis said: “The national picture is so much bigger than any of us.
“We are still going, the results are still coming in and I think there will be plenty of time for a post-mortem when we know exactly what the end game is.”
Starting at the age of nine years old helping deliver leaflets for her father in a Council by-election, Ms Bool has been an active supporter of the party through canvassing, fundraising or general activism.
Ms Bool expected a majority for the Conservatives, but not to the extent which occurred in the result. She attributed the overall majority vote to the campaigning the party did in the North.
Despite her defeat, she said she was delighted to have been selected as the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Vauxhall.
