Tag: wansteadlibdems

A new MP for Wanstead, and a new home too

So how will John Cryer be spending his first weekend as MP for Leyton and Wanstead? Going to estate agents, possibly.

Speaking after his victory yesterday, he said that he planned now to move to the constituency after his “temporary” break from living in east London – he has been living near East Grinsted in East Sussex. He told the Wanstead Guardian, though, that he had not decided when he would do so.

Suggestions for houses for sale in Wanstead suitable for a member of Parliament are welcome. Wansteadium is happy to collate suggestions and forward them to Mr Cryer. (NB. Woodcote Road suggestions will probably not go down too well.)

Speaking about the result, he said:

In terms of the national picture, I think if you told many Labour party members what [the] result was going to be I think we would be very pleased. We have come back from being deeply unpopular.”

Meanwhile, second-placed Lib Dem candidate Farooq Qureshi, who was frequently criticised for having a low profile in Wanstead, conceded the point, saying:

“It was a very high turnout, because of that we failed to narrow the gap. I think it’s also because we haven’t done any work in Wanstead and Snaresbrook. Over the years we haven’t managed to get any presence in Snaresbrook.”

And Ed Northover, Conservative, who came third despite ambitious campaigning, said:

“Though I strongly disagree with John Cryer I think he is a very decent man.”

Other reactions from around the web:

@si_ling Snaresbrook and Wanstead – all 6 tories – no surprises there

@wrongtothetom leyton & wanstead: 561 BNP, 1080 UKIP, 8928 cons… thank god wanstead isn’t a constituency in it’s own right

@PAllen Only about 500 Nazi voters in Leyton & Wanstead, 1 more vote than greens. Christians trailed in with 342 – praise be!

@leejamesbrown RT @politic_animal: Very good news that John Cryer is elected in Leyton & Wanstead. < Great days

@vikisinden Lab holds: Leyton & Wanstead. Unsurprising but hooray nonetheless. Don’t think I’ve lived in a Lab const before.

@massegrande BBC News | Election 2010 | Constituency | Leyton & Wanstead http://goo.gl/ovvm I really need to move, now!

General election result in full:
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Leyton and Wanstead election result – Labour hold

Labour have held Leyton and Wanstead; John Cryer is the new MP. There was a small swing to the Lib Dems from Labour – 2.6% – and the Conservatives were third. All other candidates, including BNP and Green, lost their deposits. Turnout was 63.2%, up 9.3% on 2005.

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From around the web

9.20am. John Cryer wins Leyton and Wanstead

Polling station at Christ Church, Wanstead (Picture: Yenwodt)

7am: Turnout was 63.1%, but counting has taken much longer than expected, and Dominic Binns is reporting that no declaration is expected until 9am.

1.40am

BBC estimate of Leyton and Wanstead declaration is 3am. Wanstead Guardian’s Daniel Binns reports that not many candidates are at the count yet – though John Cryer and Edwin Northover are there – and that a result is not expected for “many more hours yet”.

FRIDAY 1.30am.

Redbridge election officials say there were no problems with polling stations and queues in Leyton and Wanstead, the Wanstead Guardian reports.

23.15
Yellow Advertiser reports rumours that one count in Wanstead which normally has a 30% turnout has reportedly had 75%.

10.30pm

@zzgavin voted in leyton & wanstead, ex-MP H Cohen. Voted #libdem for chance at reform plus might be a marginal 7k to Lab, but lots of libdem posters

iamjamesward It has been FIVE MINUTES since I invited the candidates standing in Leyton & Wanstead to try to win my vote and I have heard NOTHING.

blue_harvest Didn’t know wanstead even had a BNP candidate until i saw it on my ballot paper. Strangely enough, i didn’t vote for him. Come on the blues!

BACKGROUND
For information, the 2005 Leyton and Wanstead result, adjusted to reflect recent boundary changes, was:
Labour 45.8%
Liberal Democrat 24.7%
Conservative 22.8%
Others 6.7%

Subdued last Campaign Saturday in Wanstead

Wanstead might have expected the High Street to be a-buzz with last-minute feverish campaigning on the last Saturday morning before polling day. After all, it seems there’s plenty to play for – 6,000 is a respectable majority but not an unassailable one, and though the Conservatives have been very active campaigners, some are still tipping the Lib Dems to cause an upset here.

But it was a subdued atmosphere which greeted shoppers. There were token campaign tables from Labour and Tory groups, though not, it appeared, the candidates. And the other parties – Lib Dems, UKIP, Greens, BNP and Christian – were not in attendance.

Comments today on Twitter and Facebook about the contest include:

@mapsadaisical Leyton and Wanstead? Labour probably favourites, but I reckon both Lib Dems and Tories think they have an outside chance.
@markb999 Tories and Labour on Wanstead High Street this morning. No Lib-Dems. However, they have started sending me letters. v.odd.


@sajarina Well, still had no response to my question about abortion rights from any Leyton & Wanstead candidates except the Labour one (pro-choice)

Jenna Hedges The Leyton and Wanstead Lib Dem candidates were not present at the prospective candidates meeting/hustings with the public today and have apparently pulled out of all the Questions debates in the area. Very strange and feel compelled to find out why!

Dave Buba Iain Duncan Smith in Waitrose South Woodford

Leyton and Wanstead candidates, updated

UPDATED: The full list of candidates for Leyton and Wanstead for the general election on 6 May is below. The Wanstead Society held hustings on 24 April; there is a digest of people’s reactions from Twitter and Facebook here. The BBC News constituency profile is here.

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UPDATE 6 May:  For Leyton and Wanstead results, click here.