Half-a-century of Labour dominance in the borough has been sensationally halted by the insurgent Green Party, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter
Haringey Greens (inset left) are now the biggest party as Labour lost 23 seats, including leader Peray Ahmet (pictured, inset right and credit Joe Ives/LDRS, hugging Lib Dem Luke Cawley-Harrison)
The Greens have won the most seats in Haringey – ending more than half-a-century of Labour-led administrations in the borough.
No single party has overall control of the local authority, however.
Even the Greens’ fairytale night had a sting in the tail, seeing them win 28 seats and therefore fall just one short of the 29 needed for a majority.
Haringey Labour, meanwhile, which has run the borough in consecutive administrations dating back to 1971, lost 23 of the 44 seats it held before the election on Thursday (7th May).
Four years ago such a result seemed unthinkable. But in Haringey – and beyond – a new political era appears to have been written.
It’s also one that will not include the incumbent council leader, Peray Ahmet. In perhaps the most dramatic moment of the day, the Labour leader endured her own ‘Portillo’ moment when it was announced the Greens had taken all three seats in Noel Park ward, ousting her from the council entirely.
In 2022, Cllr Ahmet’s closest competitor was a Liberal Democrat candidate – one she beat by 1,335 votes. The Greens didn’t even put forward a candidate in the ward that year.
As for the Lib Dems, who have been the opposition in Haringey for decades, they gained one extra seat and increased their tally to eight across the borough.
As often happens in Haringey, the Conservatives failed to win a single seat despite standing in every ward.
Reform UK, the Tories’ right-wing challengers, made seismic gains elsewhere in the country but here they, too, failed to gain a single seat.
Haringey Socialist Alliance, who were joined on the campaign trail by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn last month, performed better in terms of votes.
Nevertheless, the newcomers fell short of getting a council seat.
Other outsider parties included the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition as well as the Christian People’s Alliance. The latter achieved the unwelcome feat of gaining the fewest votes of any candidate in the borough when Stroud Green candidate, Amelia Alao, won just 30 votes – or 1.4% of the total achieved by rival Green candidate, Beth Anderson.
There was a long wait for the winners of the last ward, Fortis Green, to be was announced. The result, which came in well past 10pm, following a recount, was the last act of the night for Alexandra Palace, the historic venue which hosted the count.
As well as having no outright majority, Haringey Greens have no official leader. They are expected to elect one in the coming weeks.
Now, as in so many councils, the borough waits for an encore with only one guarantee: it’s going to be new material.
This article has been corrected – a previous version falsely stated that an independent had been elected
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