Sem Moema said she was pleased to be working alongside “three female leaders” in the North East constituency including Waltham Forest council leader Grace Williams and Hackney’s directly elected mayor Caroline Woodley, pictured above

LABOUR candidate Sem Moema was re-elected as the London Assembly member for the North East constituency on Saturday – with a result which followed the pattern that helped Sadiq Khan secure a third term as London Mayor.

In a winners speech at the Copper Box arena in Stratford, she said the results had shown a clear message to the prime minister and the Tory government that people wanted change.

“We have seen the Labour Party win spectacularly across England and Wales, North Yorkshire – Rishi Sunak’s own constituency – and Blackpool with a 27 per cent swing,” she said.

“So these local and regional elections really show that we all want change. After 14 years of austerity, Londoners have had enough.”

She added: “Whether its local government, transport or housing, we want a government that makes sure they are working with a London mayor.”

The North East constituency at the London Assembly encompasses Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest.

She said that activists had been out “week in and week out” for the campaign but, while the Labour winners were clear winners at the May 2 elections, some 60 per cent of eligible voters did not bother to take part.

Ms Moema was returned to the London Assembly with the support of around 19 per cent of the electorate. Similarly, Mr Khan extended his lead over the Conservatives but only needed a fifth of the capital’s residents to vote for him to win commandingly.

The wider results came in the wake of polling that suggests that Labour and Sir Keir Starmer will form a new government at a general election later this year. What they tell us about the likely outcome in Islington’s parliamentary constituencies is perhaps difficult to analyse with the potential for Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn being urged to stand as an independent candidate after being blocked by Labour from standing again for the party after more than 40 years’ service in the Commons.

Mr Khan had begged people who normally vote for the Greens or the Lib Dems to “lend” him their vote at this election, asking them if they wanted to risk Conservative candidate Susan Hall taking control of the city.

His appeal for help appeared to work as the Green Party had more than double the number of votes in the North East constituency on the list vote – where people are asked just to select a party with no tactical voting in play – than they did for mayoral candidate Zoe Garbett.

So while it looked like the Greens had been squeezed from the mayoral contest, the party was in a clear second place locally.

Islington councillor Caroline Russell was returned as London Assembly member after the party safely defended its three-seat contingent in the chamber.

Ms Garbett will be sitting alongside her and Zack Polanski after Brighton Pavilion candidate Sian Berry decided not to take up her place, transferring it to Ms Garbett.

She said: “Sadiq Khan built his campaign around squeezing the Green vote, and I think he needs to listen to that and the policies we were putting forward.”