Sem, who will represent Waltham Forest, Hackney, and Islington, won 104,088 votes on a 39.57% turnout
Labour’s Sem Moema has been re-elected as the London Assembly member for Islington, Hackney and Waltham Forest.
Sem won 104,088 votes on a 39.57% turnout. She gained 50.2% of the vote share, 1% less than her previous showing in 2021.
Second-placed Green Party candidate Antoinette Fernandez gained 44,342 votes, a slight increase (1.6%) from 2021 when the Green’s Caroline Russell won 43,601 votes.
Antoinette had also been competing in a Hackney Council by-election for a seat in the De-Beaviour ward, which she came 119 votes from winning.
Speaking to the Echo ahead of the election, Sem vowed to work with the Mayor to fund genuinely affordable council homes, extend private renters’ rights and improve conditions in social housing.
She also pledged to push for multi-year government funding settlements for Transport for London (TfL) and persuade landlords to offer longer tenancies.
Sem described herself as a candidate who could hold the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to account despite being from the same political party as him. She said: “I think it’s important in a place in London that we have strong representation. We need politicians who aren’t afraid to be held to account, who will listen to constituents and businesses and advocate for their beliefs at City Hall.”
Writing on X/Twitter following the result, Waltham Forest Council leader Grace Williams said: “Such a strong result for@Semakaleng -so well deserved – testament to her talent and a brilliant Labour campaign in the North East constituency across the three boroughs. I am very lucky to work alongside her and two amazing women leaders.”
Meanwhile, Waltham Forest Tory leader Emma Best was re-elected as a London-wide assembly member, a post she has held since 2021.
Reacting on X, she wrote: “No words suffice to describe the honour, pride & love I have fighting for Londoners. Thank you for giving me four more years.”
Across the North East constituency, Mayor Khan resoundingly beat the Conservative candidate Susan Hall with 127,455 votes compared to her 34,099.
In third place was the Green Party’s Zoe Garbett who gained 17,907 votes. The Liberal Democrats’ Rob Blackie trailed in fourth with 7,399 votes, while Howard Cox, from the Reform Party came fifth with 4,488 votes.
A total of 1,028 ballot papers were rejected.
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