Veteran Mike Gapes was kicked out of his seat after 27 years, but stood by his decision to leave the Labour Party, as he hit out at former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr Gapes and his team were optimistic as they arrived at Redbridge Sports & Leisure Centre just after 11.30pm last night, saying: “We’ve given them [Labour Party] a good fight, and they’re slightly worried I think”.
But Mr Gapes, standing for The Independent Group for Change, was visibly dismayed, after Labour’s Sam Tarry stormed to victory with a majority of 24,137 just after 4am on Friday.
Ilford South had been held comfortably by Mr Gapes since 1992, and he secured a majority of 31,647 in the 2017 election.
He was one of the original seven Labour MPs to leave the party earlier this year in opposition to Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
An emotional Mr Gapes, whose hands were shaking as he spoke, said: “I left the party in February after fifty years for three reasons: Corbyn’s pro-Putin foreign policy, his facilitation of Brexit and the anti-Jewish racism that is now so entrenched in the Labour Party.
“I made it clear that Jeremy Corbyn is not fit to be Prime Minister, and it’s clear that the British people agree with me.”
Some Labour supporters who were gathered around the stage scowled as Mr Gapes dubbed his former party’s election campaign a “failure”.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Tarry, who has worked on Corbyn’s leadership campaigns in the past, praised his predecessor, saying: “he’s worked incredibly hard to represent his constituents in parliament and helped thousands and thousands of local residents”.
Turnout in Ilford South was 63.1 per cent — lower than the 68 per cent seen in 2017.
Ilford South results: Labour hold
Sam Tarry (Labour) 35,085
Ali Azeem (Conservative) 10,948
Mike Gapes (Independent) 3,891
Ashburn Holder (Liberal Democrat) 1,795
Munish Sharma (Brexit Party) 1,008
Rosemary Warrington (Green Party) 714
Majority: 24,137
