It was a historic night in North London as former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn took Islington North, running as an independent after being ousted by the party.
Corbyn took the seat, which he’s held for more than 40 years, with 24,120 votes, just under half the total votes, and seven and a half thousand more than Labour candidate Praful Nargund.
In his acceptable speech, Corbyn emotionally thanked the people of Islington North.
He said: “I owe my life, and my learning, and my abilities entirely to the people of Islington North, this victory is a dedication to them, and steadfastness in the face of opposition, steadfastness in the face of abuse.
“We have shown what kinder, gentler more sensible, more inclusive politics can bring about, I couldn’t be more proud of my constituency than I am tonight, I’m proud of our team that brought this result.”
In October 2020, Corbyn was suspended from the party for saying antisemitism was “dramatically overstated for political reasons”.
He was reinstated but the Labour whip was withdrawn and he sat as an independent for the remainder of the last parliament.
He was then blocked from becoming the Labour candidate in March 2023.
Nargund, the Labour candidate, is a local councillor in Islington and worked in private healthcare, and was selected as a candidate at the outset of the election.
Corbyn has represented the seat for over 40 years, first winning in 1983, making him the joint longest serving MP in Parliament.
Putting out a statement to social media following his result, he refers back to the slogan that the Labour Party used prolifically when he was leader.
He wrote: “Tonight’s result in Islington North gives us a glimpse of a different future, which puts the interests of the many ahead of those of the few.”
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