Camden by-election sees Labour take back seat after Greens candidate resigns

Nanouche Umeadi returns to the council after losing her Kilburn ward seat at the May elections after Independent candidate splits anti-Labour vote

Labour has reclaimed a Camden council seat it lost to the Green Party in May after a candidate quit due to his being ineligible to become a councillor, triggering a by-election.

Nanouche Umeadi, who was defeated in her former Kilburn ward seat, won the Regent’s Park by-election held on Thursday, July 9, with 576 votes (32%). The Green candidate Alice Brown came a close second with 482 votes (27%), a margin of 94.

Independent candidate Mohammad Junayd Khan came third with 407 votes (23%). The Conservatives’ Vladimir Chorniy, with 137 votes (8%), came fourth, while trailing in fifth for Reform UK was Beverley Martin with 123 votes (7%). The Liberal Democrats finished last with 51 votes (3%). Turnout was 21.9%.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cllr Umeadi said the campaign had been a “very hard fight” as she juggled the constant door-knocking with her family responsibilities.

“I can’t believe that we’ve done it, and I genuinely could not have done it without the incredible team – I call it the ‘village’ – of Labour councillors, the local constituency party and my family,” she said.

Cllr Umeadi chalked up her victory to her candour and ability to connect with residents over local issues like HS2. She told the LDRS the railway line’s construction in the Euston area had displaced her aunt and cousins after theirs and hundreds of other people’s homes were demolished.

“A lot of undecided voters or those who were leaning Green said were considering me because I could relate to them on these issues. I wasn’t afraid to answer difficult questions about the party, and when I didn’t know the answer, I said so.”

Cllr Umeadi was first elected to the council in 2022 as a member for Kilburn ward until she lost her seat in May, coming in fifth place. She grew up in Mornington Crescent after coming to Camden as a four-year-old asylum seeker fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo.

She pledged to hold HS2 to account and ensure the regeneration of Euston delivers on its promise to deliver “quality, affordable homes needed in Regent’s Park”.

The by-election was called almost immediately after the local elections. Though the Green Party ousted two Labour councillors, victorious candidate Mohammed Abu Naser was soon forced to resign his seat as his candidacy breached electoral rules.

Labour’s gain grows its total councillor cohort to 31, slightly padding out its slim majority on the council. The Greens, together with the Camden People’s Alliance, continue to form the largest opposition group with 11 members to the Lib Dems’ 10.

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