Labour win in Baby P council ballot - News in brief - Evening Standard
       

Labour win in Baby P council ballot

Labour has passed its first electoral test in the London borough of Haringey since the Baby P tragedy plunged the council, which it controls, into controversy.

The party retained its traditional Seven Sisters stronghold in a by-election, fending off a Conservative challenge by a margin of 64 votes.

Inspectors sent into Haringey by Children's Secretary Ed Balls following the death of Baby P identified a string of "serious concerns" about the borough's child protection services.

Labour's by-election victor Joe Goldberg said: "I thank the good people of Seven Sisters for renewing their confidence in Labour's leadership, not just at Westminster under Gordon Brown, but at Haringey Council under newly elected leader Claire Kober and myself as a new voice for Seven Sisters.

"The result is a firm rejection of both the do-nothing Tories and the soft-on-crime-Lib Dems who even raised objections to banning nuisance street drinking here in Haringey."

Result: 31% turnout. Lab 1,032, Con 968, LD 581, Green 166.

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