An election took place in the north London constituency of Islington North on 4 July 2024,[1] as part of the 2024 United Kingdom general election. Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party, won the seat by standing as an independent against the official Labour Party candidate, with a majority of 7,247.
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Islington North constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 67.5% ( 4.1 pp) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Corbyn was not allowed to stand for re-election as a Labour candidate by new Labour leader Keir Starmer following his suspension from the party in 2020. Labour's National Executive Committee said the decision was made due to Corbyn claiming that antisemitism in the party under his leadership was overstated by the media. Corbyn has repeatedly condemned antisemitism and denied he holds any racist views.[2][3][4] After announcing he would stand as an independent candidate at the election, Corbyn was fully expelled from the Labour Party.[5][6] The Islington Tribune, a local newspaper, described the Islington North election as something we "have not seen before in our lives".[7]
On election day, Corbyn won the election, with a majority of over 7,000.
Background
editMedia speculation that Corbyn would contest the 2024 general election as an Independent was reported in October 2023.[8][9] Despite reports of "unanimous support" from his Constituency Labour Party (CLP),[10] Corbyn was not permitted to stand as a Labour parliamentary candidate. After announcing on 24 May 2024 that he would stand as an independent parliamentary candidate for Islington North, he was expelled from the Labour Party.[11][6]
Local councillor and entrepreneur Praful Nargund was selected as the Labour candidate. He denied that his selection had been undemocratic, saying "things needed to get off the ground quickly" after the snap general election was called.[12] While a motion thanking Corbyn for his service and supporting the "democratic right to select our MP" was passed by the Islington North constituency Labour Party in a May 2023 meeting,[10] it was reported that some local Labour members did not support Corbyn. The Win Islington North group, composed of over 100 local Labour Party members, criticsed Corbyn's campaign as an independent candidate and pledged support for Nargund.[13]
Corbyn endorsements
editCorbyn was endorsed by Mick Lynch of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers.[14][15] Left wing parties such as the Socialist Workers Party[16] and Transform Party[17] also endorsed him, as did The Muslim Vote[18] and locally Mohammed Kozbar, general secretary of Finsbury Park Mosque.[19]
Campaign
editThe Green Party in the constituency decided to make the election "as boring as possible".[20]
The Conservative and Labour candidate refused to take part in a hustings on healthcare, forcing its cancellation.[21] Praful Nargund, the Labour candidate, kept a low profile during the campaign and restricted his media interviews to a small handful.[22]
On 19 June, Alison McGarry, the chairperson of the Islington North CLP, resigned after being spotted campaigning for Corbyn.[23][24] On 28 June, leading members of the Islington North Labour Party signed a letter announcing they were resigning, or willing to be expelled, to campaign for Jeremy Corbyn, stating they were "denied the right to choose our own candidate". Signatories of the letter including McGarry, two vice chairs, an assistant secretary and constituency secretary.[25]
Because of the unusual nature of the Islington North election, in mid-June data journalist Ell Folan attempted to raise £7000 via crowdfunding to pay for a local poll of voting intentions.[7] The campaign was successful, and the poll was released on 25 June, putting Labour on a 14-point lead over Corbyn.[26]
A few days before election day, Corbyn was reported to be having difficulty getting the message out that he was standing as an Independent and not the Labour Party candidate, though it was claimed he and his supporters had visited 25–30,000 addresses in the constituency.[27]
Nargund visited Whittington Hospital in the last week of the campaign, meeting senior staff. He pledged to step back from his business activities if he was elected as MP.[22]
Opinion polling
edit| Dates conducted |
Pollster | Client | Sample size |
Lab. | Corbyn (Ind.)[a] | Lib. Dems | Con. | Green | Ref. | Others | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jul 2024 | 2024 general election | – | 34.4% | 49.2% | 3.4% | 4.0% | 5.4% | 3.5% | 0.4% | 14.8 | |
| 20–25 Jun 2024 | Survation | Stats for Lefties | 514 | 43% | 29% | 7% | 6% | 7% | 6% | 2% | 14 |
| 12 Dec 2019 | 2019 general election | – | 64.3% | 15.6% | 10.2% | 8.0% | 1.4% | 0.4% | 48.7 | ||
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Jeremy Corbyn | 24,120 | 49.2 | N/A | |
| Labour | Praful Nargund | 16,873 | 34.4 | –29.9 | |
| Green | Sheridan Kates | 2,660 | 5.4 | –2.6 | |
| Conservative | Karen Harries | 1,950 | 4.0 | –6.2 | |
| Reform UK | Martyn Nelson | 1,710 | 3.5 | +2.1 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Vikas Aggarwal | 1,661 | 3.4 | –12.2 | |
| Independent | Paul Josling | 32 | 0.1 | +0.1 | |
| Majority | 7,247 | 14.8 | N/A | ||
| Turnout | 49,006 | 67.5 | −4.1 | ||
| Registered electors | 72,582 | ||||
| Independent gain from Labour | |||||
A heckler shouted "unlucky mate" as the Labour Party vote was announced. After the results were announced and Corbyn was declared winner, he gave a victory speech saying the constituency had voted for a "kinder, gentler, more inclusive politics".[29] It was the first time Islington North had failed to elect a Labour MP since the 1930s.[29]
Previous result
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | Jeremy Corbyn | 34,603 | 64.3 | −8.7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Nick Wakeling | 8,415 | 15.6 | +6.6 | |
| Conservative | James Clark | 5,483 | 10.2 | −2.3 | |
| Green | Caroline Russell | 4,326 | 8.0 | +3.9 | |
| Brexit Party | Yosef David | 742 | 1.4 | N/A | |
| Monster Raving Loony | Nick The Incredible Flying Brick | 236 | 0.4 | +0.2 | |
| Majority | 26,188 | 48.7 | −11.8 | ||
| Turnout | 53,805 | 71.6 | −1.8 | ||
| Registered electors | 75,162 | ||||
| Labour hold | Swing | ||||
Notes
edit- ^ Corbyn stood for the Labour Party in the 2019 election.
References
edit- ^ "General elections". parliament.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
The maximum term of a Parliament is five years from the day on which it first met. The current Parliament first met on Tuesday 17 December 2019 and will automatically dissolve on Tuesday 17 December 2024, unless it has been dissolved sooner by the King.
- ^ "Jeremy Corbyn: It's 'offensive' to call me anti-Semitic". POLITICO. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ "Corbyn decries anti-Semitism as 'vile and wrong' following chief rabbi's rebuke". The Times of Israel. Jerusalem. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "Jeremy Corbyn and Labour's anti-Semitism row explained". 27 April 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
- ^ Adu, Aletha (24 May 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn to stand as independent at general election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ a b Rkaina, Sam (24 May 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn expelled from Labour Party after confirming he will stand as independent in general election". The Independent. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ a b Loubser, Isabel (14 June 2024). "Polling appeal in election like we 'have not seen before in our lives'". Islington Tribune. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ Adams, Tim (7 October 2023). "Will Jeremy Corbyn take on Labour for his Islington seat – and will he win?". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Maguire, Patrick (25 February 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn to run against Labour as an independent, say allies". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ a b Allegretti, Aubrey (18 May 2023). "Jeremy Corbyn tells local Labour party he wants to carry on as their MP". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Watson, Iain; Geiger, Chas (24 May 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn confirms he will stand against Labour in Islington". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ Marsh, Alex (18 June 2024). "Islington North Labour candidate Praful Nargund interview". Islington Gazette. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ Harpin, Lee (24 May 2024). "Islington North Labour group claim Corbyn 'does not have support of local members'". Jewish News. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "RMT leader Mick Lynch gives Jeremy Corbyn general election backing". BBC News. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
- ^ Murray, Andrew (24 May 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn announces candidacy for Islington North". Morning Star. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ TTE (24 May 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn will stand against Labour in Islington North". Socialist Worker. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
- ^ "OUR CANDIDATES".
- ^ Li, John (20 March 2024). "Who Should I Vote For? | The Muslim Vote". Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Frazer, Jenni (29 May 2024). "Corbyn election leaflet features endorsement from Muslim leader who praised Hamas founder". Jewish News. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ Loubser, Isabel (24 May 2024). "Greens aim to keep Islington North contest "as boring as possible", memo reveals". Islington Tribune. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Labour's imposed candidate in Islington North ducks health debate with Jeremy Corbyn". Morning Star. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
- ^ a b Griffiths, Robbie (2 July 2024). "Praful Nargund: Jeremy Corbyn was wrong to say anti-semitism in Labour was overstated". The Standard. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ Gibbons, Amy; Sigsworth, Tim (20 June 2024). "Labour's Islington North chairman who 'hid in bush when spotted campaigning for Corbyn' quits". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
- ^ Adu, Aletha (20 June 2024). "Islington North Labour chair quits after being spotted campaigning for Corbyn". The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
- ^ "Islington: Local Labour members resign to campaign for Corbyn". BBC News. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2024.
- ^ Hymer, Clare; Folan, Ell (25 June 2024). "Shock Poll Shows It's Down to the Wire for Corbyn in Islington North". Novara Media. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
- ^ Middleton, Joe (1 July 2024). "Inside Jeremy Corbyn's fight for Islington seat after former Labour leader stripped of the party machine". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
- ^ "Statement of Person Nominated and Notice of Poll: Islington North Constituency". Haringey Council. 7 June 2024.
- ^ a b Dyer, Henry (5 July 2024). "Jeremy Corbyn re-elected in Islington North after expulsion from Labour". theguardian.com. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "General Election 2019 candidates". London Borough of Islington. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Commons Briefing Paper 8749. General Election 2019: results and analysis" (PDF). London: House of Commons Library. 28 January 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2022.