After weeks and months of meetings, training sessions, leaflet‑folding, and relentless campaigning, the last 48 hours have felt like a lifetime. Election Day on Thursday 7 May, followed by The Count on Friday, pushed all of us to the limit — physically, mentally, emotionally. It became less a campaign and more a temporary way of life.
🌅 Election Day: From Dawn at Stratford Manor to the Last Knock at 9.45pm
I started early outside Stratford Manor polling station in West Ham ward, while my Labour colleagues Adjoa Kwarteng and Sam Mannion covered the others. Apart from one unpleasant encounter with an aggressive, foul‑mouthed Reform supporter, the morning went smoothly.
From there we headed to the campaign office to collect E-Day leaflets and the codes for our smartphones — the lifeline that tells us which Labour voters need a reminder to get to the polls.
Then began the long, punishing slog: street after street, block after block, knocking doors, speaking to residents, leaving leaflets where no one answered. We were kept going by brilliant support from local members including Varghese and Parvin, and the ever‑reliable retiring councillor John Whitworth.
We kept going until 9.45pm, then visited polling stations to check for issues and get a sense of turnout. After a quick drink at the Black Lion, it was home — briefly — before the next ordeal.
🗳️ The Count at ExCeL: A Marathon of Verification, Kangaroos, and Nerves
By 8am on Friday, those of us acting as counting agents for the Mayoral contest were at ExCeL for the briefing. The count began at 9am, and from observing the verification across three wards, it was clear that Labour’s Forhad Hussain was heading for victory. Still, nothing could be taken for granted, and counting agents from all parties had to stay laser‑focused.
Eventually, it was confirmed: Forhad Hussain had won by over 5,000 votes. The Independents came second, the Greens third — despite their confident claims that “only they can win”.
Then came the councillor counts, and this was a different kind of torture. West Ham ward showed strong Labour block votes, but there were hundreds of mixed ballots, where voters split their three votes across parties. Newham’s infamous “Kangaroo” system was used to allocate these — a slow, meticulous, mind‑bending process.
No one had any clear idea who was ahead.
⏳ The Long Wait — and a Bitter‑Sweet Result
As we waited, national and London‑wide news filtered in. Labour was having a very bad day. We lost wards and seats. Good comrades were defeated. But we also held ground in key areas.
Finally, at around 8.30pm, the West Ham declaration was called. Candidates and agents were told privately before the public announcement.
It was close.
I was elected. Adjoa was elected. But Sam — a hardworking, experienced campaigner — narrowly missed out, with a Green taking the third seat.
It was a bittersweet moment. Sam took it with grace and professionalism, but politics can be a cruel business. I have no doubt he will return and win a future contest.
🟥 Where We Stand Now
Despite the losses, Labour:
Won the Executive Mayor contest decisively
Remains the largest single party on Newham Council
Outperformed the London anti‑Labour trend in both Newham and neighbouring Redbridge, according to early analysis
It will be tough. It will be messy. But with Forhad as Mayor and a committed Labour group, we can still deliver our ambitious manifesto for Newham.
With a fair wind, next time we’ll wipe the floor with our opponents.
I’ll share the full results once they’re officially published.
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