Sophie Conway wins Hackney Central by-election for Labour

Newly elected: Cllr Sophie Conway. Photograph: Twitter

Labour’s Sophie Conway has been elected to represent Hackney Central Ward on a turnout of only 18.6 per cent.

Conway, a youth advocate for a children’s charity, won the by-election, held on 21 July, with 75.2 per cent of the vote.

She beat Green party candidate Siobhan Mac Mahon (9.9 per cent), Liberal Democrat Russell French (6.3 per cent), Conservative Christopher Sills (5.6 per cent) and independent candidate Mustafa Korel (3.1 per cent).

The result is a hold for Labour and a swing from the Greens of 12.1 per cent.

Conway was born and raised in Hackney. She and her daughter both went to Gayhurst Community School.

Prior to the election, she said: “As a single parent, living in social housing in the borough I am acutely aware of the impact that Tory austerity is having on our community and the issues that people are struggling with.”

The election was called following the resignation of Sophie Linden, who stood down from the seat in June to become London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Deputy Mayor for Crime and Policing.

The election was the third time the residents of this ward had been called to the polls in three months. This may account for the low turnout.