Labour wins Stoke Newington and Hackney Downs byelections

Patrick Moule: newly-elected Labour councillor for Stoke Newington ward

Labour held the two local council seats up for grabs in the 5 May byelections that coincided with the London-wide polls.

Patrick Moule was elected in Stoke Newington ward on 61.6 per cent of the vote and Sem Moema won the Hackney Downs seat on 59.8 per cent.

Greens took second place in both wards. Halita Obineche garnered 21.5 per cent in Stoke Newington and Alastair Binnie-Lubbock won 24.4 per cent of the vote in Hackney Downs.

Former Conservative councillor Christopher Sills placed third in Stoke Newington on 8.6 per cent and Conservative candidate Nicola Benjamin took third place in Hackney Downs on 8 per cent.

Sem Moema: the new Labour councillor for Hackney Downs ward following yesterday’s byelection

Sem Moema, who served as a Hackney councillor previously from 2006 to 2010, has worked for a large housing association for over four years.

Patrick Moule is a national organiser for a trade union.

The byelections were triggered when Labour party councillors Louisa Thomson (Stoke Newington) and Rick Muir (Hackney Downs) stood down.