North East London remains Labour as Sem Moema wins again

Incumbent Sem Moema has once again won as London Assembly member for North East London. 

Spanning Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest, Labour have historically dominated in the area. 

With all three parliamentary constituencies held by prominent opposition front benchers, it was no surprise that Sadiq Khan also won as Mayor, receiving 127,455 votes – slightly higher than in 2021.

Moema has maintained strong support in the community, having held the assembly seat since a win in 2021, following over a decade as a Hackney Downs councillor. 

Massive result in North East London for @Semakaleng and @SadiqKhan.

Waltham Forest, Hackney and Islington remains solidly Labour! 😍 pic.twitter.com/rxkJdQyj16

— Kira Lewis (@kira_millana) May 4, 2024

Upon receiving a staggering 104,088 votes, the returning London Assembly member nodded to the upcoming general election: “with fourteen years of austerity Londoners have had enough, we’re sending a message here that we want change”

She later reiterated this message, saying: “We have got an amazing plan for London but we’ve got so much work to do because of damage done to the economy”

When asked about working with Sadiq Khan, Moema said she looked forward to holding the Mayor and his team to account on behalf of her constituents.

Moema has previously stressed the importance of housing, air quality and transport – showing appreciation for Khan’s new Superloop bus service to better connect outer edges of the constituency. 

Despite ongoing discussions about internal party divisions and Labour’s handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict, the newly incumbent assembly member said that local resident’s focus was on life here in London and the consequences of austerity rather than international relations. 

Opposition candidate Pearce Branigan echoed similar views, stating that doorstep conversations with constituents had mainly focused on domestic issues.

Those in attendance were in high spirits with Hackney Mayor Caroline Woodley also at the count.

Woodley said: “This result shows that they [the constituents] really wanted to see a fairer, greener, safer and healthier North East London and I’m so thrilled to see that she [Moema] has won on such a great mandate”

Turnout this time around was down 2.5% compared to previous London Assembly elections, with votes for Moema reflecting this, down 8,651. This reflects similar trends in turnout across the nation.