New Labour councillors ‘honoured and humbled’ after winning Hackney by-elections

Newly elected Labour councillors Faruk Tinaz and Jasmine Martins. Photograph: Hackney Labour

Labour has won the two council by-elections that took place on Thursday 2 May.

Jasmine Martins was elected as a councillor for De Beauvoir ward, with 1,316 votes.

Faruk Tinaz was elected in Hoxton and East and Shoreditch, garnering 1,587 votes.

In De Beauvoir, less than half of those eligible to vote did so – turnout was 42.95 per cent.

In Hoxton East and Shoreditch, just under a third of eligible residents voted, with turnout at 31.92 per cent.

Cllr Martins said: “I am incredibly honoured to have been elected as a councillor for De Beauvoir ward.

“Thank you to every resident who voted and put their trust in me to represent them.

“I will work hard alongside Cllr Joe Walker to represent your views and ensure we deliver on our pledges.”

Cllr Tinaz described being elected as “one of the prides of my life”, adding: “I am humbled by everyone who trusted and voted for me on Thursday.

“I want to say a huge thank you to all the residents who supported a local boy to be their voice.

“This is for the community of Hoxton, and I am extremely excited to be part of a team who will shape and deliver a better future for Hoxton East and Shoreditch.”

He continued: “I will be working hard to advocate and fight for improvements to the housing repairs service, more genuinely affordable housing, and an effective business strategy, led by local residents and businesses, and to support Hoxton Market to flourish.”

Hackney Mayor Caroline Woodley welcomed the pair to the council in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

She said: “They ran amazing campaigns and have constantly shown how dedicated they will be to serving their wards and Hackney residents.”

Green Party candidate Antoinette Fernandez came a close second in De Beauvoir, missing out on top spot by just 119 votes.

She won 42.5 per cent of the vote but told the Citizen she was “heartbroken”.

“I so wanted to win this election. I would have worked so hard to represent the people of De Beauvoir.

“However, we just couldn’t beat the resources and campaigning power of the Labour machine.

“I can’t thank everyone who gave up all their free time to come campaign for the Green party enough.”

The Greens were also runners-up in Hoxton East and Shoreditch.

Liam Davis, the party’s candidate, said he felt “positive” about the result and that it showed “the progress the Greens are making ahead of the 2026 elections”.

He added: “I’m confident that the Green party will be the main opposition party in Hackney after 2026.

“No Labour councillor should be complacent.”

Full results:

 
Hoxton East and Shoreditch by-election
Faruk Tinaz elected with 1,587 votes.
Turnout: 31.92 per cent