General Election London seats: Who will be my MP in Hackney North and Stoke Newington after Diane Abbott row
Millions of voters across London will go the polls on July 4 to elect the new Government. The Standard looks at key battleground seats in the capital. Here we turn the spotlight on:
HACKNEY NORTH AND STOKE NEWINGTON
Estimated declaration time 5am
Candidates for main parties (in alphabetical order):
Diane Abbott - Labour
Antoinette Fernandez - Green
Rebecca Jones - Liberal Democrats
TBC - Conservatives and Reform UK
Summary: A year-long controversy over whether Diane Abbott would get to run again in her fiefdom appears to have been put to bed, for now, after the veteran Left-winger was first elected in 1987 as Britain’s first black female MP.
She was suspended from the Labour whip for querying whether Jews and other white minorities were subject to racism “all their lives” in the same way as black people, then restored under an apparent deal to allow her to retire with dignity. That all blew up when allies of Sir Keir Starmer briefed against her, prompting Ms Abbott to hit back and insist she was indeed running.
Sir Keir was forced to back down and endorse her anew for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, where her majority in 2019 was an impregnable 33,188.
The constituency has above-average rates of deprivation, and a notable concentration of Hasidic Jews in Stamford Hill West, with also rising gentrification in Stoke Newington.
Wards: Cazenove, Clissold, Hackney Downs, King’s Park, Lea Bridge, Shacklewell, Springfield, Stamford Hill West, Stoke Newington.
Boundary changes impact: Hackney North and Stoke Newington is losing three wards and gaining one, but the overall balance of vote share is little changed.
YouGov MRP poll prediction: Labour hold.
Evening Standard view: The recent furore has done nothing to dent Ms Abbott’s popularity on the ground, with local supporters mobilising in force to back her against the Labour leadership.
She will be returned with ease and will continue to be a thorn in the side of Sir Keir, this time from the Government benches (if national polls are correct).
Click below to see more key seats across London:
