Heroine of Hackney riots fails to win council seat
Liberal Democrat candidate Pauline Pearce admitted she wasn’t surprised about the results of Hackney Council’s Hackney Central by-election in which she came third.
Despite Liberal Democrat hopes that she would prove a challenge for Labour, Ms Pearce received 394 votes, just 11 per cent of the total vote, beating only the Local Conservatives candidate Andrew Boff who gained 5.5 per cent.
The so-called “Heroine of Hackney” after she berated rioters in August, left the room before the results were announced at the Alexandra Palace count earlier today.
“I was pretty much expecting it,” Ms Pearce said. “It really was no surprise. I’m a bit disappointed that people voted the way they have done but so much has gone on with the national politics so the locals have been affected by it.
“I’m not here because of the national politics, I’m here to defend Hackney which is what I know about and what I understand but everyone said you have chosen the wrong party.”
You may also want to watch:
But she added: “I am optimistic that things can turn around and we can still make a change.”
Meanwhile Ben Hayhurst tripled the Labour Party’s majority since 2010, gaining a majority of 1893 votes today compared with 624 in Hackney Central in 2010.
Most Read
- 1 Hackney surgery named GP Team of the Year
- 2 Man wrestled to floor during attempted robbery in Finsbury Park
- 3 Covid fines worth £39K handed out in Hackney and Tower Hamlets
- 4 Campaigners launch legal challenge against Hackney LTNs
- 5 Hackney ‘poised’ to undertake school closures after drop in pupil numbers
- 6 Stoke Newington School looks to raise £60K for student laptops
- 7 Jailed: 'Dangerous' Hackney predator found with 1,600 indecent child images
- 8 Old Street roundabout project moves into final phase
- 9 Hackney postal voters urged to reapply after cyber-attack
