Labour wins Brighton by-election

The Labour Party has won the Hanover and Elm Grove by-election in Brighton.

Emma Daniel received 1,396 votes – 38 more than Green candidate David Gibson who won the backing of 1,358 voters.

It is the first seat that Labour has won from the Greens on Brighton and Hove City Council.

Ms Daniel will represent the ward in place of Matt Follett who resigned in May saying that he was moving out of the area.

The full result was

Emma Daniel (Labour) 1,396 votes – elected

David Gibson (Green) 1,358 votes

Robert Knight (Conservative) 275 votes

Patricia Mountain (UKIP) 250 votes

Phil Clarke (Trade Unionists and Socialists Against Cuts) 172 votes

Lev Eakins (Liberal Democrat) 56 votes

Emma Daniel said:  like to thank the residents of Hanover and Elm Grove.”

Emma Daniel hears her victory announced at the count

A total of 3,520 people voted, 2,744 in person and 776 by postal vote. Thirteen ballot papers were rejected. The turnout was 29.23 per cent.

Conservative group leader Councillor Geoffrey Theobald was the first person to congratulate Councillor Daniel on her election.

He said afterwards that Labour had scraped a win despite four members of the shadow cabinet joining their campaign.

Councillor Gill Mitchell said that if the results were extrapolated across Brighton and Hove, Labour would win more seats from the Greens and the party’s MP Caroline Lucas “would be toast”.

Mr Gibson said that his party had suffered the fallout from the binmen’s strike. He also said that the timing – after the end of the university year – had been unhelpful as the party benefited from the student vote.

At the last local elections in May 2011 Matt Follett received 2,800 votes and his nearest Labour rival, Leo Barraclough, polled 1,662.

Hanover and Elm Grove has three councillors. The other two are Bill Randall and Liz Wakefield, both Greens.