London turns red as last Conservative bastions swing to Labour

LONDON: Residents of London´s traditionally Conservative-voting Kensington woke on Friday to a dramatically changed political landscape -- with a Labour lawmaker elected to represent the super-rich constituency long favoured by bankers and the international elite.

“It´s pretty astonishing and it wasn´t even that close,” said Celia, 29, an energy sector worker who asked to be identified by her first name.

“It surprises me, but I think a lot of people have been looking to other parties as a protest,” she said as she strolled along one of the area´s most exclusive streets lined with smart, white stucco-fronted houses.

Known as the wealthiest constituency in the UK -- despite pockets of deprivation -- Kensington was until Thursday one of only three remaining Conservative seats in inner London.

Now known as Kensington and Bayswater, it was the capital´s most marginal seat at the last election in 2019.

And with the mood of the country hardening against the Tories and changes to the constituency´s boundaries, it has now been submerged by the Labour tide.

Retired department store window dresser Michael Bentley, 86, was equally taken aback by the swing to new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party but believes it was probably a good thing.

“I just thought people here would never vote Labour, perhaps it shows the depth of the dissatisfaction,” he said.

“The Conservatives were making a real mess of it with their various prime ministers and a lot of their MPs were just in it for themselves,” added the floating voter who backed Labour this time.